Study Abroad

Study abroad has changed me/has led to my personal growth in so many ways. First of all, it’s really taught me to roll with the punches. I’ve never traveled this much/this often in my life, so naturally there were going to be some inevitable obstacles at different points in my four month journey. Some were more costly than others, but in the end everything worked always worked out. I’ve had to think on my feet more than a few times, in order to make some impulse decisions. I’ve experienced several tense/stressful situations that have helped me to maintain composure better than I ever had in the past. I’m proud to say that I never once cried or lashed out at someone because a situation was too tough for me to handle; and there were indeed a fair amount of upsetting times that it would have been all too easy to lose my cool. I’ve talked my way through some challenging situations in Spanish and practiced my knowledge of the language with people that surpassed the simplicity of a standard conversation like, “Hola, como estás? Como te llamas?” (Hello, how are you? What’s your name?)

Additionally, I’ve grown so much as a person and have become much more globally aware. I’ve picked up on phrases in other languages, perfected my use of travel methods within a wide variety of cities, and have been able to communicate more clearly and effectively with people of different cultures. I’ve been able to connect with people on a deeper level and have made friendships that I know will last, not only with quite a few Europeans, but fellow American students that I’ve grown close to as well. I’ve also learned SO much more about Spain, as well as other European countries, in the past four months than I have in my whole life. As a result, I feel much more confident discussing the history of Spain, in addition to its present situation, than I ever would have in the past.

As my study abroad experience is coming to a close, I can’t help but have the mindset that I feel comfortable enough to take on the world. I’ve always considered myself to be fairly mature, but I definitely think that I’ve matured even further beyond my years after studying abroad, now that I’ve dealt with high tension situations, have been forced to think outside the box, and found commonalities with people that I never would expected. This journey has changed me in the best way possible, and I know that as much as I don’t want my college years to end, I’ll be more prepared for the real world than I ever would have been without this experience.