For someone that is both always and never up for an adventure, studying abroad seemed like way more than just a simple "oh hey, let's hop on a plane for seven hours and then do a lot of hard work in a different country."
When I first applied to study abroad, it was on a whim with a dream of sipping tea in the Royal Botanic Gardens of London. But the reality of actually getting in totally scared me. Fast forward six months, I am boarding a plane that will take me 3,000 miles away from home to live somewhere I once visited for a week when I was nine years old. Days before departure, I was wracked with stomachaches, wondering what exactly I got myself into. Even though I was reassured, “you’ll be fine!, you’ll make friends!, it’ll be so great!" I did not want to step one foot into the Great Unknown or Great Britain. These reassurances only made me want to go less. And even though I knew that I could instantly say I did not want to go anymore, I felt like it was something I had to experience to help myself grow.
Six weeks later and on a flight back to America, I feel like I will be returning as a new person. Someone that has gotten lost in multiple museums, experienced tube strikes, and felt what it was like to have no air conditioning, ever (the Underground is actually in the depths of hell).
Not only have I earned eight credits worth of classes (and I passed too--see Mom, it wasn’t all just fun and games!), I have done things I never thought I would do. 2:30 a.m. bagels? Check. Sleeping in a dirty hostel in Edinburgh? Check. Popping a bottle of champagne in Hyde Park after finishing finals? Check. Train station samosas? 100 percen yes. Among many laughs, adventures, and too many miles of walking, I have realized that I evolved from thinking too much about what was to come to go voluntarily taking trips around a new city to an unknown place.
Moving to college was scary, but living in an entirely different country for a month and a half? Unbelievable. As a rising sophomore, I am so lucky I was able to study abroad so early. Even though I am completely broke from this trip, I feel so happy I went through with the decision to leap across the pond and experience things I never thought I would have the chance to ever do in my life.
Study abroad. It’s worth your time, money, and all anxieties. London is an amazing city that is full of culture, life, and people there to make you feel right at home. I now can say London was a home to me and I can’t wait to go back.
