Dear Study Abroad,

The time has come and gone. I have taken my exams, gone on my final trips and I'm on my way home. In the beginning, you took me by storm. I flew hours to a foreign country to be welcomed by a group of strangers that later became some of the best friends I have ever met.

I went through a plethora of emotions ranging from euphoria to dysphoria. This was the opportunity of a life time, and you gave me the chance to change my life and improve myself.

I was able to meet people from my home university and people from across the world by taking on this adventure. I met people that I will live with once my collegiate career is over. I met people that I will have in my wedding one day. I met people that I will share a retirement home with. It's not every day that those friendships are created, but sometimes we just get lucky.

Going into this experience, I didn't know what to expect. I had the excitement of a child being tall enough to ride the roller coaster with the big kids. I pictured all the incredible places I would journey and the liveliness of this foreign country I was going to explore.

Nothing but wanderlust stemmed from my imagination. But what I actually encountered was something that I will never be able to explain or experience again. Studying abroad brought me nothing but pure bliss: a state of such happiness that nothing can bring me down.

For five months my life contained the ecstasy some can only dream of. The experience gave me a new outlook and appreciation of life.

I was given the opportunity to explore part of the world I would have never experienced had I not studied abroad. Not many people can say they've climbed on top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge or visited one of the top ten prettiest beaches in the world.

The opportunity to see the world in a new way is indescribable. The environment that I was lucky enough to be exposed to truly astounded me.

These experiences have changed my life for good. It has made me more appreciative of the world around me. It has made me open myself up to the world in a whole new way, and I never want to turn back.

I thank my lucky stars every single day I was fortunate enough to experience this opportunity. Without my study abroad program, I would've just spent my semester at home, and I can honestly say it would have been the biggest mistake.

I have a new value and outlook on life. So, here is to studying abroad. Cheers!