I grew up in New England, more specially, New Hampshire. I grew up and lived in New Hampshire my entire 22 years of life. There wasn't much left to see, if anything, that I haven't already seen. For as long as I could remember, I wanted nothing more than to get out of my hometown, but never really had the guts to leave. That was, until I had my heart broken. In August of 2015, I finally made plans to leave everything and everyone I once knew so I could attend The Travel Academy. It was one of the best choices I could have made. I learned a lot about myself in that three month period.
The top five things that I learned in those three months are:
1. It Is Perfectly Okay To Be Scared
I remember dropping my friends off at the St. Paul airport after our long 22 hour drive to get to the school I was about to attend and we had to say good bye. It didn't hit me until they were about to go through security that this was the last time I would see them for three months. Then I realized, I didn't know anyone here. In my head, I started to panic as I walked back to my car trying to keep my composure. Then I sat in my car in the parking lot and cried for about 15 minutes. I wasn't sure if I could make it without them, without anyone I knew. As I drove back to my school housing, I was dreading the next three month, thinking how scary all of this was. But it got so much better over time. Of course I missed my friends and family dearly, however, I met a lot of wonderful people along the way. I realized, being scared is just part of making your dreams a reality.
2. Being Yourself Is All It Takes To Make Friends
When I walked back into my school housing, I had three roommates. These people I had only met for about five minutes while I moved my stuff in and I didn't know anything about anyone. Once I came back after dropping off my friends, my roommates were nothing but amazing to me. They all understood why I was upset and a bit scared and they reassured me that they were all feeling the same way too. We spent the next few days together before class started getting to know each other. We realized we had quite a bit in common, even though we all came from very different places. As time progressed, I gained so many people I now can call life long friends from all corners of the country, and the world. And all it took was being myself!
3. Being Independent Is Much More Than Doing Things By Yourself
I always used to call myself independent, and in some cases I was. I moved out of my parents house when I was 18 and had a job and paid my own way for pretty much everything I did. When I went to Minnesota, I didn't have my families home to run back to if I needed it. I couldn't go see all the people I knew my entire life for help with anything I could have possibly needed them to help with. I had to figure it all out on my own. I had to make those choices, big or small by myself. I truly understood for the first time what being independent really was!
4. If You Set Your Mind To Something, You Can Accomplish Anything
Everyone had heard that phrase once or twice in their life, and I knew it was true, but never really believed in myself enough to do it. When I went to my classes the first day and got a taste of what I was in for, I knew if I didn't give it everything I had and worked really hard every day, I wouldn't be able to make my dreams possible. The day I was offered the job I wanted, I knew I really could accomplish anything, if I wanted it badly enough!
5. I Actually Missed Home
It took me being stripped away from home for three whole months to really see the beauty that I grew up around and was able to call home. From the mountains, to the fresh air - the quietness of a small town was really peaceful, not just some boring place with nothing to do. Walking on a beaten dirt path in the woods, taking a deep breath of air and feeling nothing but the calmness of a small town was all it took to make me realize why I really love where I came from. I will always call this place my home, even if I no longer live there.
All in all, the lessons I learned by going to Minnesota for three months go way beyond a textbook. I learned to overcome fear, embrace who I was, grow more independent and truly appreciate where I came from. All of these lessons were things I thought I knew before, but never fully understood until now. I wouldn't be the person I am today without learning all of this about myself, and most of all I wouldn't have been able to really understand any of this on a real personal level without leaving when I did.
