I'm not going to lie and say I had been dreaming of studying abroad my whole life and researched my trip until I knew exactly where I wanted to go, what I was going to study or see. I'm a simple person. I like having a set schedule and planning out my days down to the minute, nothing spontaneous. This was a complete impulse decision.

One day, I was sitting with some girlfriends and came to the realization that I craved something to get me out of this sad slump. School and drama was taking a major wear on my emotions. So, I brought up the idea and we all decided to do it. That night I emailed the director and secured my spot for my study abroad in Greece and Italy. The time span between my deciding to go and actually going was only a mere four months and before I knew it, I was mid-panic attack walking between the small aisles of the largest plane I've ever seen.

You need to study broad because submerging yourself in another culture is an experience you simply will never experience if you stay in the states your whole life. Sure, taking a family vacation to another country is fun and a great bonding experience, but being in another country basically on your own is a risk you need to take.

Taking on Greece and Italy taught me so much about myself I would have never known if I hadn't taken that risk and gone. I had my doubts and fears just like you would expect anyone to, but it's a battle in itself to take that jump and do something outside of your comfort zone that shapes your journey to learning more.

Before this trip, I was afraid of venturing downtown alone scared of getting lost getting off the freeway. Now I know I can get lost in the enormous city of Rome (where the language barrier is as strong as a rock) and within two hours navigate my way through streets, bus stations and trains and safely make it back to my hostel on my own. I would have never known that speaking Greek would come so naturally and I'd find myself talking to locals, bargaining like it was second nature or even hiking up a cliff so high that people were as small as ants below. Or even simply being in a college that isn't my own, and a college in a different country for that matter. These were things one year ago I never imagined myself doing. I'm afraid of even getting on the freeway I would never have imagined I would have done and seen the things I did.

Now, it wasn't all peppy Facebook posts and smiles. The first day or should I say two days in one (thanks, jet lag), felt like a blur. I was scared, felt unsafe and my anxiety was through the roof. I didn't get an ounce of sleep on the 14 hours worth of plane rides and was tempted to turn on my data and call my mom crying multiple times. Falling off a bike in the busy streets of Rome wasn't my cup of tea, neither was being in a packed train station mid strike or falling through a wood railing atop an Italian cliff. But you aside from being afraid these experiences helped shaped the learning journey I went through and I wouldn't wish those things to not have happened because what's a good trip without some crazy stories to tell.

The things you see, the places you go and the things you learn cannot ever be replaced or replicated here in the states and that's why you need to study abroad. You will have so much fun exploring that you actually forget you're in school. I'm so grateful for the opportunity that the university gave me to go abroad and I wish that everyone would get to experience that kind of journey at least once in a lifetime. If fresh seafood in Greece or endless amounts of pasta in Italy doesn't sway your decision alone, then you need to re-evaluate all your decisions in life.

Take the risk, step outside your comfort zone and go explore the world. Trust me, it will be the greatest decision you'll ever make in your life.