Getting back into the swing of school can be a challenge after a summer full of fun and adventures. Reminiscing on all of the great memories made is one of my favorite things to do, and reflecting on the past few months always helps me get ready for the new school year.
Immersing yourself into a new culture through a study abroad program, like I did, is a great way to spend your summer and help further develop yourself as a successful, contributing member of society.
This past summer, I spent six weeks studying abroad in Prague, Czech Republic and then backpacked around Europe for four weeks after that starting in Salzburg, Austria and ending in Dublin, Ireland. Through this experience, I learned more than I ever thought possible and wish I could relive my trip every single day.
No doubt there were plenty of lows throughout the trip, as traveling is never a seamless endeavor, but the highs outweighed the lows tremendously. One low for me, in particular, was when my train ran over an hour late causing me to miss my connecting train from Nimes, France to Barcelona. Stranded in a small town with no reasonably priced hotel rooms available, my brother and I had no other options but to sleep in the woods of a park. While I can't say I would like to relive that particular experience, I can say that I have slept in the dirt in the middle of bushes.
From learning how to be a minimalist to mastering the train routes in foreign countries, I can only speak highly of what this adventure has done for me.
I made new friends with people that I would never have met otherwise and learned to love other types of food that I never knew even existed. I also went from being a girl who always overpacked for everything to one who could fit ten weeks of clothes into two backpacks.
After visiting ten exotic countries and twenty-one diverse cities, I have grown to be significantly more culturally-minded than I was before. Having a greater appreciation and understanding of those who live differently than yourself allows you to have more respect for those who come from opposite parts of the world.
While I am grateful to be back home in a land where I understand the currency and can perfectly read the restaurant menus, I miss the wanderlust and adventure of study abroad. If you are blessed with the opportunity to study abroad at some point in your college career, I urge you to take the plunge and step outside your comfort zone.
