It’s been more than a year since the day I moved into my Freshman dorm at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, and had to say goodbye to my mom, who was catching a flight back to Spain the next day and whom I wouldn’t be seeing until winter break. This was my first time doing anything like this, living on my own, and I was 4,300 miles away from my home. Although I had visited the US several times throughout my life this was the first time I would be living here, at a school where I knew no one. I had been planning for this day for a long time but now it was really happening and I was a nervous wreck.

I was lucky enough to have a wonderful roommate with whom I got along very well, and it wasn’t long before I met some of the people that are still my closest friends to this day. My grandparents lived about an hour away, so they were available if I needed anything, but I would still be spending most of my time with my new friends.

Soon enough I was having a lot of fun and enjoying my newfound freedom so much that I stopped being home sick. I still missed my family but I had discovered that I really loved college and was uncovering all the things my school had to offer.

Winter break was good to go back home and catch up with family, and by the end of it I was excited to go back to school, although this time it would be for two consecutive terms without seeing my family. That’s six months away, but I knew that there were other international students who were going through the same thing and could relate. By the end of spring term I was feeling pretty homesick and was excited to go back home, but I had surrounded myself with the right people who helped me make school a completely new second home for me.

Starting school in a completely different country is definitely scary to think about and a brave thing to do, but it will also be one of the best things you will ever do with your life. I just started my second year of college and it would be weird to think about getting my undergraduate degree anywhere else. Are there times I just really want to go home? Yes, but that happens to everyone. We are growing up and building our own path in life. Stepping out of our comfort zones by taking leaps of faith is what will help us become who we want to be.