The most important thing I learned while being abroad is independence. While I have always been an outgoing person, for example doing a spontaneous trip to Grand Canyon, I could never do it on my own. As a human being, we are drawn to people and seek their comfort and support. However many of us will be melancholic if we are on our own and without support for too long.While abroad, not everyone exports to their new country too well. Some people get withdrawn and introverted while others become more irritable and bellicose. What this translates for my situation is that people won't always be able to hang and do activities. Obviously this had made me sad, but after a few days I slowly became able to conquer my own heart and soul because of this experience.

While in Taiwan, I planned my dream trip to Japan. I looked up tickets and saw that day had the cheapest tickets for the entire summer night I flew there for 4 days and saw 7 cities. Everything was so amazing and the Japanese country side was greater than any fantasy I had. I even had this incredibly lucid moment in the mountains where I connected with nature for the first time. I even went to the onsens(hot springs) and had such a great time in the baths.

I have spent a good amount of time in Taiwan exploring on my own and, to my own amusement, people began to copy my itinerary of what I did and where I went. An important experience was when I was walking and saw a French man on a mat on the ground selling his wares. I passed by him, but immediately turned around and talked to him. He told me he has been traveling Asia for 20 years just picking things off the ground and making them into art to sell. He told me about how he learned to be his own home. I have always depended on my friends and family being my "home", but his words hit me so deeply.It was one of those few second moments that change your life. What I take from being abroad is exactly that, the freedom and independence of not needing to depend on people to be happy. I do more things on my own to simply be your own home has changed the way I think because I now think of myself as something I can change and decorate from within. I will always keep and incorporate the strength and independence I have gained while being abroad