"You have to go abroad while in college!"

"Going abroad as a student is the BEST time to go!"

"Your college experience will be better if you spend time abroad."

These are some of the phrases I have heard over the years about studying abroad as a student. Unlike a large number of Concordia College's student body, I did not go on a study abroad trip. However, I have traveled internationally. My guess is that many of you have too.

Three summers ago I embarked on the biggest adventure of my life. Along with a few family members, two family friends, and a stuffed suitcase we flew across the ocean to a whole new world. For three weeks we traveled through Singapore, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Testing all the food we could, seeing some of the most beautiful landmarks, visiting with relatives who lived in these countries, and soaking in lots of sun, we experienced a culture that was far from our own.

Before I was given this opportunity, I was completely set on going on traveling abroad through my college. I wanted my first international trip to be a study abroad experience. I was especially interested in the May seminars that Concordia offers.

But when the offer came for me to instead travel with family, no homework required, for the same amount of time, I had to choose between the two. The cost to go on this trip and to participate in a study-abroad program would have been too much. I had to decide which one was the better option for me.

You already know this, but I chose to go with my family instead of studying abroad. While on our trip I learned many things that many people learn while studying abroad. I learned how...

...to navigate airports of all sizes,

... to expertly pack a suitcase,

...to take lots of photos but not too many that you miss what's happening around you,

...to admire another country's culture and customs,

...to eat whatever is in front of me even if it looks scary,

...to be independent even while traveling with a group,

...to be okay with getting lost somewhere unknown,

... and to know that the world is a lot bigger than I thought it was.

This decision was one of the best I have ever made, but by not going on a study abroad trip I found myself feeling left-out of conversations on campus.

I have found myself often looking at students on campus wearing their "Go Away, I Did" shirts, and wishing I had one myself. I wish that I could wear it so people would know that I've been abroad and might ask me a little bit about my experience.

Now I graduated from school about 8 months ago so I don't see hear as much about study abroad trips or see those shirts anymore. But I still sometimes feel like I maybe missed out on an opportunity or that I made the wrong decision.

But then I remember these moments...

These are just a few of the many many photos that were taken during our trip. From me trying frog for the first time, to an overnight trip in Ha Long Bay, to spending an endless amount of time talking with my family, and every moment in between. These are some of my favorite moments from our journey and I cannot help but smile when I think back on the good times we had there.

Those moments are valuable. The memories are valuable. And the experiences that this trip gave me are just as valuable as a study abroad trip could have given me.

So to all of you who are in the same boat as me, the ones who have gone abroad or traveled on your own, know that your experience is enough.

There may not be a shirt to prove it , but the memories are what really matters.

“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.”

– Oliver Wendell Holmes

*Disclaimer: I am in no way discouraging students to go on study abroad trips during their years at college. I believe that these are wonderful opportunities to learn and grow alongside your peers. Travel anyway you can, my friends.