Choosing to go abroad at 18 was one of the best decisions of my life, but I'm not going to lie and say that everything turned out perfectly. In fact, I had one experience that taught me a lot about myself and how to push past comfort zones in order to ask for help. In one very critical experience for me, I’d been in the city of London and was getting sick. It started with a simple cold but soon escalated into something more, just for the sheer fact that I was unaccustomed to both the weather patterns and the medical care offered in the country. After a trip to the Lake District I noticed immediately that I had caught a small cold. Back home, if it happened, I would take light cold medicine and would be fine because it was still early enough in the fall that the weather would be stable sufficient for my cold to go away. I was sadly mistaken when one day the weather took an unpredictable turn for the worst and I was caught in the middle of it. Thinking I could take care of it with more cold medicines and tea, I resorted to those methods, instead of immediately going out and seeking a doctor. I admit, looking back on the experience now, I've realized that I was scared at being so far out of my comfort zone. Being in a foreign country, without my usual form of support was fine when I was well, but not when I was sick.
Another big hurdle was getting the courage to go to the doctor’s office. The sickness soon became worse enough to warrant a doctor’s visit. However, at the first mention of this possibility, I immediately shot down the idea. I wasn’t the first person in the group to have to go to the London clinic and I’d heard stories about the medical care in London. Nothing bad mind you, but being the extremely private person that I am, I was defiantly uncomfortable with the entire situation. I eventually consented to the doctor’s visit due to the fact that even I had to acknowledge that I was getting worse and not better, no matter what I did. This was probably the first time since going there that I really had to take a leap of faith and rely on my new support system, The Arcadia London staff and the staff at the London clinic. Needless to say, the specialist found the problem quickly enough and after a week or so of treatment I was back to my old self in no time.
Going abroad is a wonderful experience, but the most important thing you can do for yourself when you're in a new situation is ask for help and, reflecting back on this experience, I realized how much our inequities can really hold us back from the world and sometimes even hurt us. If I had gotten over my preconceived notions of healthcare and reached out a bit more to the people there to help me, I may have gotten better sooner and would have spared myself a lot of grief. I also realized the interconnections and interdependence between the Clinic staff and the Arcadia staff as they worked together in order to ensure that all those in the programs there in London were safe and well. Maybe next time (although I do hope that there won’t be a next time) I get sick I’ll be more willing to reach out and ask for help. So do yourself a favor: if you're ever in my situation, ask for help when you need it.
