The summer after my first year of college, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Cape Town, South Africa, to study abroad for a month with a group of students from my school. Before I went, I was extremely nervous. I didn't know anyone else going on the trip, and I didn't know what to expect out of the entire thing. Little did I know that I was about to have one of the best months of my life.
We did so many amazing things while we were in Cape Town. We hiked up mountains, zip lined through canyons, went on a safari, and so much more. Most importantly, we worked together in teams to create public relations and marketing campaigns for local non-profits in order to help them succeed. I tried new things, met so many wonderful people, and made friends who I know will be in my life for a long, long time. I learned so much about myself and the world around me and learned to appreciate everything I have and every opportunity that comes my way.
When it was finally time for me to come home, I could not stop talking about all of the jaw-dropping things I saw and did while abroad. I wanted to explain my entire trip, in detail, to everyone around me. It had changed my life and I found it to be very interesting to talk about. I still enjoy talking about my trip to this day, over two years later. It has come to the point where some of my friends will look at me after telling a story and say, OMG! NO WAY! YOU WENT ABROAD?!? It's so bad that I can literally feel the sarcasm in their voice piercing me right in my study abroad loving heart.
To any person out there who has ever studied abroad before, talk about it as much as you want to. Traveling and meeting new people can teach you so much about so many different things, of course, you're going to want to talk about it! It also took up a good portion of your life, especially if you went for an entire semester/year, so the topic can be hard to avoid. And while it does teach you a lot and you want other people to learn from you, it is also just really fun. Some of the stories I have from my time abroad are the best memories I have from my entire life.
If you have gone abroad, never feel bad for talking about your experiences. It was a big part of your life, and you should be able to freely talk about it. I know for a fact I will never stop talking about the people I met and the experiences I had while studying abroad, and I won't apologize for talking about it either.
