When I went to Spain to study abroad last year, I came home, and I thought that I had learned a lot about myself. While I had gained more independence and more confidence in traveling last year, this year taught me more important skills.

In Spain, I didn't go through culture shock. I didn't struggle with much of a language barrier, and I was informed about the culture enough to be prepared for what I was getting into. In Chile, I struggled with understanding the Spanish and didn't really know what to expect with cultural differences. The difference between the start of the two experiences was noticeable, and culture shock hit me hard.

The second week, I almost cried over the wifi not working. It was the final straw. Not only was I stressed because classes hadn't really started and the end of the program seemed so close, but also about not understanding enough and being able to communicate as much as I wanted to, and not being able to access anything was the last straw, emotionally.

However, I grew from the experience, I didn't let it define my trip. I had to accept that things are just different because I was in a different country. From that moment on, when things weren't ideal, or something was different, I told myself "that's just the way it is here. You don't have to like it, but you can't change it."

Patience has always been a skill I lacked, especially in regards to traveling. When I was in Spain, I had to show up at the train station thirty minutes early, and I had to be sitting waiting for my train or I was worried that I would miss it. This year, I traveled to Argentina, and when the bus wasn't there 30 minutes before we were scheduled to leave, I was fine to just stand around and wait for a little longer to see if it showed up.

While becoming more independent was important to me, it was even more valuable to learn to be more patient. As someone who has always needed to control everything, I surprised myself at the fact that I could even let go and just accept things as they came at me. I never thought I would learn to be patient and actually accept things, but my study abroad taught me how, and I'm so grateful it did.