Studying abroad was one of the best times of my life. Looking back on my time abroad it was so much more than just going to school and traveling. You don't quite understand it until you live abroad for a while then come back home.
Studying abroad makes you think on your feet. There are times when literally everything does not go as planned and you have to figure it out. You have to problem solve, a lot. It is the kind of stuff you could never plan for, like if it's too windy for your plane to land or an atm ate your card and you're in a different country than you live in. For lack of a better word, shit happens. And it sucks, a lot but it is all part of studying abroad. You have to learn how to solve those problems to get through.
You do some real life adulting. You have to budget, figure out how to book a trip, and find meals with no internet (it is harder than you think). I'm going to be completely honest I didn't particularly like it, but I learned the most from this aspect of study abroad. I learned that I'm growing up, I am full functioning adult with responsibilities. It is quite a wake up call. I think it has and will help me transition from this teen area to an adult in more ways than one. I have had to be open to learn and try new things, I had to plan more ahead, and I had to just learn to get lost and love it.
Speaking of trying new things, I learned that I had to be open to new experiences. I considered myself as a person who is always open to new things, but study abroad really pushed me out of my comfort zone. I had to learn how to manage the legal drinking life, one that I had never experienced in the US, I had to be open to new food (lots of new food), and new people. I had to be open to new cultural experiences and ways of life, all things I did not even think about before I left.
Most of all, studying abroad was a place for self discovery. I have awakened a love of travel in me. I have realized how much I thrive in new places. I have appreciated my home culture more from being away from it, but also appreciated experiencing new cultures. I left study abroad a different person, a better person.
Study abroad was more than plane rides and couple of classes in a different country. It was so much more. It changed me in the best ways possible. It was without a doubt one of the best experiences of my life.
