I've been studying abroad in London for the past five months, and in less than two short weeks, I return home to the states. I feel as if I've learned more in the past few months than in the past two years at my home university. The subject matter may be different; at home I learn about things like semiotics and writing, while in Europe I've learned lessons about the world, life, and myself. Anything we learn is important, but lessons we learn about ourselves are often most important, I find.

I wonder how I'll feel once I'm back on US soil. Every time I imagine myself on the plane ride home, I become a little teary-eyed. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to see my family and friends, sleep in my bed, and eat my favorite food. But how can I just forget all the experiences and people I've met here? How can I go from living in a big city with anything at my disposal to going back to a small town where the closest Apple store is almost two hours away? How can I explain the places I've seen? How can I tell my friends that the world is so huge and the people in it are so intriguing? How can I talk about my experience without sounding like a pretentious jerk?

Studying abroad makes the world come into perspective. You realize how big it is: how much is going on constantly every day in different places, how many people there are out there, living their lives just as you are. On the contrary, the world becomes much smaller in your mind. You come to find nations' borders are an imaginary, arbitrary thing, and we're really all more similar than you could ever imagine. You see that the little problems that plague your everyday life aren't a very big deal in the grand scheme of things.

There are moments where your heart is filled with joy at witnessing a new place with it's beautiful landscapes and interesting people. Then there are the moments that break your heart: learning about the brutal past of somewhere, seeing the outreaching effects from war, and realizing that despite the world now being so simplified and so wonderful in your mind, it's still hard to change enough peoples' minds to make it as peaceful as you wish it to be.

I wish everyone could be given the opportunity to study abroad. I know with certain degrees and particular circumstances, it's not possible for everyone. But if it were, I think our world would honestly be a happier, more connected place. An experience has never brought me more lessons, experiences, opportunities, and the chance to meet some really fantastic people, than study abroad has.

I know these are lessons and memories that I'll cherish and take with me. I don't think it will be my last time in London, and it certainly won't be the last time I travel abroad. If I can help it, I hope it's something I'll be doing whenever possible. As Mary Ritter Beard, the American historian and archivist, said, "Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living."