"There's no time to be bored in a world as beautiful as this..."
If you are ever questioning whether you should study abroad, whether it's for a week, a month, a semester or even a year, I'm going to tell you right now to not back out of it. I'm a small-town girl who has big dreams and I'm telling you studying abroad changed my whole prospective on life. Here's Why:
Oh, the Places You'll See
I think I ended up seeing 8 different countries. Each one was unique and different in its own way. People always ask me how I could afford it. There are American Student Travel agencies we went through most of the time, and it was super affordable. But besides that, money can't buy the things and experiences you'll see and do. It was just breathtaking.
Oh, the People You'll Meet
I actually got to meet a lot of new people along the way, whether it was in my own apartment, on a trip, in class, or on a kayak ride in Switzerland. I met so many people that I still keep in contact with today--like, to come to think of it, these people could probably be a part of my wedding someday, whenever that will be. LOL.
Oh, the Food You'll Eat
The food was most definitely different from American food, but it was delicious. Italy had great, fresh Italian food, pizza, pasta, gnocchi, pastries, gelato, and Nutella everything. Barcelona had the best nachos and breakfast; Paris had great sandwiches; and Germany had great pretzels. I mean, you get the gist of it--the food was great.
Oh, the Things You'll Do
In each country (or anywhere we went) we tried to do something while we were there. We went kayaking on a beautiful lake in Switzerland and went paragliding over the mountains the next day. In Paris, we saw everything: the Louvre, the Eiffel--it was beautiful. In Croatia, we took a booze cruise to another island. In Germany, we went to a beer hall and attended their Springfest and dressed up and danced on tables. I mean, we really never got bored. We were always trying to be involved in something while we were there.
Oh, the Things You'll Learn
I learned a lot about myself. It sounds cheesy, but I really found my true passion for fashion, and I really learned how to be independent. It definitely made me change as a person and have a different perspective on things. I was never a person who even thought of studying abroad--it was more of a 'jump the gun, I'm going to take chances' kind of thing. So, if you are ever questioning yourself about doing it, I suggest that you do it. You will truly find yourself.