Studying abroad is something I have always wanted to do. When I was younger, I pictured myself going abroad and having life-changing experiences, as if it was something out of a fairytale. I also pictured myself coming home completely changed, and having found myself and my idea of a perfect future.

As I sit at the table in my host mother's kitchen attempting to write an essay that is due in the morning, I cannot keep my mind from wandering and thinking about the ways I have changed since leaving the country and completely immersing myself in another culture and another way of doing things. Obviously, proven by this article, my habit of procrastination has not changed. Furthermore, I still think about a lot of things the same way and hold much the same morals and values that I did before embarking on this "life-changing" adventure.

When I first planned to leave the country, a lot of people told me that traveling is a growing experience and I will learn so much while abroad. While I do not disagree, I've noticed changes in myself different than just growth or an increase in knowledge about another culture and country. The main change I see in myself is in the way I view new situations, and I have a new appreciation of what I have already experienced.

Every new situation is an opportunity to discover something new about yourself.

You've never eaten sauerkraut before? Try it. You've never climbed a mountain in Spain? It's not going to kill you, believe me. You've never helped babysit twin boys overnight? I promise, there's as much giggling as there is crying. I have never been more self aware in my life than I am now. As a result of my studying abroad, I have discovered so many new things about myself: my likes and dislikes, the ways I react in different situations, things and places I would love to see and experience again, and SO much more. Every single new situation has created an ideal opportunity to learn something about myself, even if it's something small, like my distaste of pickles or if flea markets are really my thing. Although all of these things may seem like the idea of "growing as a person" that others had told me about, I believe that they're different. I have not just grown as a person, I have learned to take advantage of new experiences, rather than shy away from them.

The familiar should not go unappreciated.

This does not mean that I am homesick. This means that I now better understand and can appreciate the life I left behind much more than I did before this journey. Familiarity and the idea of "home" is something that can easily go unappreciated if one is not separated from it for a long period of time. Although I love it here in Berlin, this experience has made me identify and acknowledge what I do love about home and the people in my life. There is a comfort that comes with knowing at least one person well enough to be able to rely on them for anything, as well as from having the ability to know exactly where to find something and how long it takes to get there. Familiarity is comfortable and it is something that I am beginning to appreciate more and more while being here.

It might be cliche, but studying abroad is what one makes of it. I believe each person who goes abroad, regardless of age, has the ability to learn something new, whether it be about oneself or about another culture. Regardless, I think that studying abroad is an experience worth having and something I will never regret. Take advantage of new situations and appreciate the life you are living. Life is good and each opportunity is a chance to make it greater.