Study abroad: just do it. We've all heard the reasons you should go, and you really should. But, what happens after you study abroad? You have some cool stories, perhaps new friends? An updated cover photo with the Eiffel Tower or a knight? A host of new experiences and uncharted territories give insight into who you are and memories to treasure.
But, when the plane lands, and after you learn to drive on the right side of the road again, you are still on the journey. At first, everything feels foreign. After a few days of relearning to be an American (pizza toppings are actually on top again and Nutella tastes funny), you realize that you are the dynamic factor. Your eyes have been stretched so far that you can't see things exactly the same way. Your mind has been mesmerized and frightened and bewildered and challenged and truly happy so many times that you can no longer think along the same grain that you did a few months ago.
This. Does. Not. End.
At least, it didn't for me. "Oh, you must have loved Paris!" And I did. But what makes Paris more lovable than Indianapolis? Studying abroad renewed my interest-- in everything. Yes, European cities are fantastic, and there are so many unique diners and bookstores and mountains to check out! But why do we have to go England to be enamored with tea?! (Don't forget the pinky.) Is Grantham, England, inherently that much more interesting than Washington, Indiana? We get so used to the routine that we forget to truly notice and appreciate the familiar. That diner that's been on Main Street for 50 years has just as much character as the antique shop in Spain, but we don't take the time to be interested in it because it's always present. We should take the time. One day we're going to miss being able to get the best vanilla Coke in town on a whim.
Studying abroad gave me a interest in people, and the value of taking the time to truly care and connect both with those I've known for years, and those just waiting in line for the Tube. You can go on a 6- (originally 11-) mile hike in Lake District with your best friends, nearly freeze to death, and thaw out laying on picnic tables half-laughing, half-crying, eating the best vegetarian nachos you've ever had, making memories none of you will ever forget. You can go to a 3-hour midnight Mass Easter Vigil in Barcelona, not understand a word of Catalan, struggle to stay awake and laugh so hard your insides are about to burst naming each other's future children after Ulysses S. Grant on the way back to the hostel.
Shouldn't we be just as enthusiastic to hike at Audubon, or to wander southern Indiana? If we walked into each day at home with the excitement and adventure as we did studying abroad, how much more would we do, and see, and touch? How much more would we grow? How much more would we be? Don't lose that spark of interest once the plane lands. I went abroad to explore the world; not until I got back did I realize how much of the world I had been missing.
