If you ever find yourself questioning who you are or what you want to be, I highly suggest taking a trip. That sounds backwards as many people associate finding themselves with working or doing what they love. However, the best and more genuine way to reveal your true self is to travel to an unknown place by yourself. I learned this through traveling abroad. Although I am with many other study abroad students, I did not travel with any close friends. Therefore, I was cast into a new country like bait on the end of a fishing rod, to find myself bobbing up and down observing the foreign scenery around me.

This experience has shown me that I am capable of much more than I initially thought. I've learned things about myself I don't think I would have if I stayed at school this semester. It has taught me valuable life lessons through navigating life in a completely new place. From the small changes such as learning to live without a dryer, to the big ones such as living in a country where the native language is different from your own, I've had to use problem solving skills and strategies to overcome these obstacles. No matter how many simulations of crises, or problem-solving workshops you attend at home, none can prepare you for a real challenge in a foreign country. At first, it seems impossible and too big for you to handle. I've had my fair share of meltdowns over the simplest of details (spilled drinks and wet clothes to name a few). However, when you take a step back and evaluate the situation, you'll see that you are capable of solving the problem or overcoming the obstacle all on your own. Even if you have to enlist the help of a stranger, you have to communicate to them on your own an explain the situation. Through these instances, I've proven myself capable, resilient, determined, and intelligent in ways I never considered myself before.

I've also stumbled across new interests, fears, and hobbies while living abroad. It reveals a whole new side of yourself that didn't seem to exist before. It was always there, but it was buried under familiarity and the comfort of home. I'm only about halfway through my abroad experience, and I can see a new person emerging within myself, that will only grow with more travel and the experiences that come with it. Each day I am simultaneously learning about the world around me and the person within myself who is much more complex than the one I knew back home.

I firmly believe that traveling is good for the soul and truly allows you to find yourself. Find your voice, find what you love or what you hate, find what you're passionate about and pursue that. It doesn't have to be as drastic as moving to a new country for three months but just a trip to a new place where you don't know many people or anyone at all. Give it a chance, and I promise you'll gain a new perspective of yourself.