For all of you that know me, you're probably aware that I am unceasingly passionate about studying abroad and about travelling in general.

A lot of you probably wonder, "Why is that girl so obsessed with studying abroad? Why does she never stop talking about it? What is so special about getting out of the states and wondering around undiscovered places for a couple weeks when you have everything you could possibly need at home? What does travelling give you that staying local doesn't?"

Trust me. I get it.

The familiarity is comfortable and the routine is what gets you through your day--it's knowing that you have people to come home to and support. It's knowing that you have some sort of control over what you choose to do in this life. It's the comfort of keeping the things you love in one place.

Going abroad is not about the travel or the places you'll see. It's not about the food you'll eat or even about the pictures you'll take.

It's about what the new experiences bring you and who it molds you into. It's about letting people in and breaking the barriers of your soul, if you let it. It's about allowing yourself to really feel what it's like to be uncomfortable in order to appreciate the things you have at home.

My decision to go abroad came at the exact moment I needed it. At the time, I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I wasn't ready for the amount of change that would be thrown my way or the situations and people that my heart would be exposed to.

I've looked into studying abroad again. But the more I think about it, the more I am able to see that for me, I won't be able to get that same heart-altering, perspective-changing experience back.

Of course, I'd love to study abroad again. I'm open to new experiences and how going abroad again could shift my perspective yet again, but I've accepted that it probably won't have the same affect on me.

I acknowledge that studying abroad had the most positive and life-changing affect on me but that it's not the only place I will seek to find that in the future.

I want people to understand that an open heart and an open mind is the key to getting the most out of any experience. An open heart and mind are the greatest gifts that I could have ever gotten, because having my guard up (as I did for half of my life) made me feel like people didn't really see me.

Unlocking that place that gives you the space to love yourself unconditionally is what allows you to be able to love others with the same love and respect you give yourself.

Some people never get that.

That is what studying abroad gave me.