When I first decided to study abroad in London, I was ecstatic. I had always wanted to go there, and it would be my first time going to Europe. In all honesty I had such high expectations for that trip that I started to fear that it wasn't going to be all I wanted.
It wasn't.
It was so much more than what I could have expected. God, I could spend hours just talking about the experience. From how it made me content just being with myself to how it just changed me forever.
Sitting on the Tube watching all the different people that passed by wondering what their stories were, where they were going, who they were meeting. Walking down the streets of London and feeling like I finally belonged somewhere. There's just something in the air in that city that made me smile, made me feel so deep. I can't explain it, but I am forever grateful to it.
I learned that traveling to a different place every weekend is absolutely amazing. You will see things and learn things that you never imagined you'd experience. But you'll get exhausted and you'll wish your mom was with you. That's OK. One of the most important parts of going abroad is allowing yourself to feel homesick. Culture shock is real, but it's not necessarily a bad thing; you must let yourself feel it to be able to get over it and enjoy your time abroad.
Company is the main thing when traveling. You will always want someone who is far away to be right by your side so you can share these amazing experiences with them. But exploring on your own will make you learn a lot about yourself that you never even knew.
Honestly, studying abroad helped me discover how amazing being independent can be. Being able to get up and do something on your own is one of the best feelings, but yes, it can sometimes get lonely. Don't let that stop you though; sometimes being lonely is good to discover new things about yourself.
When traveling so much, sometimes your heart will yearn to go back to one specific place. Don't listen to it. Believe me, seeing all of those new places pays off, and soon enough you'll be back where you belong.
I realized that you can feel nostalgia even for something that hasn't passed yet. You will be dreading leaving from the moment your feet touch the foreign ground.
To be honest I can't say I regret anything from studying abroad. I got the love I needed from a city, something I never thought was possible. I fell in love in every single country's trains, streets, bus stops. I will never forget all the journeys I took and for once felt what it was like to be a wanderer. I will never forget what I learned from every adventure that I took.
So, yes, I had the highest expectations for my semester abroad in London, but God, did I find so much more than I expected. I found myself and where I belong, and in all honesty I'll never quite be the same until I go back. Studying abroad opened all these doors for me and helped me discover what I wanted.
Unfortunately, my time studying abroad in London couldn't last forever and I found myself having to pack up my stuff and leave. But I know for sure I'll be back because when the heart yearns for a place to call home there is only so much time you can ignore before it finds its own way back to where it belongs.
