Since day one of college, I promised myself that I would do whatever it takes to study abroad at some point in my college career. Everyone who goes abroad always exclaims that it’s “the best semester of their lives” and “it’s so life changing”. Well, flash forward three years, and I can tell you that they weren’t lying. I still have 7 weeks left in my program in Rome, Italy but I can tell you that these past 10 weeks have been the best 10 weeks of my life. When you immerse yourself in a new country with no familiar faces and don’t speak the language, it can be a little overwhelming at first. But once you get past all of that and open yourself up to all the opportunities that lie in front of you, it’s an experience like no other. If you’re ever debating on whether or not to study abroad, here’s why I think you should.
Flying from Montreal to Venice : Photo by Bailey Penrod
1.You’ll Pick Up A New Language
Oktoberfest 2016 in Munich, Germany : Photo by Bailey Penrod
If you’ve anything like me, you dropped a language in high school after your two required years were fulfilled. Big mistake. I was so overwhelmed by the language at first and I felt bad about not knowing any other language other than English. But after a little help from my Italian class and also having no other choice but to try and speak Italian when I needed to order food or ask for directions, I am finally picking up on the language. It’s not great, I can promise you that. But I am able to make my way around Rome with the Italian I do know, and I’m learning more and more when it comes to the language everyday.
2. You’ll Travel. A Lot.
Dolomites Mountains in northern Italy : Photo by Bailer Penrod
When I was coming to Italy I really only expected to visit like 3 or 4 other places outside of Rome. I was so wrong. So far I have been to 11 different cities, and still have about 4 more trips booked for the semester. Once you are in Europe, the travel and lodging is cheap. We’ve been able to book flights for 40 Euros and we’ve been able to sleep in hostels as cheap as 17 Euros. You would be very surprised at how far a little bit of money can go while you are here. Who would have thought that a 10 day trip to Spain and Portugal would cost under 150 Euros for the flights and lodging?
3. You’ll Meet Some Of The Best People
Train ride to Venice, Italy : Photo by Bailey Penrod
It’s weird going to a new country not knowing one single person. Especially whenever you’re school refuses to release any information about the people you’ll be living with, including names. But after about 2 weeks of living with these strangers, you feel like you’ve known them forever. I know, it sounds cheesy and lame and cliché… but it’s true. You’ll most likely be doing most of your traveling with your roommates, so it takes little to no time to get to know them. I never would have thought I would trust someone enough to cut 4 inches off my hair one night after only knowing them for 2 weeks, but hey it happened.
4. You’re Constantly Learning
Cinque Terre in Italy : Photo By Bailey Penrod
If that’s not enough of a reason then I don’t know what is. There is never a day that goes by that you don’t learn something new about the culture, religions, society, people, or about yourself. There have been days where I find myself giving directions to people from Poland or have a conversation with people Germany. You never know who you’ll run into and what they can teach you. It’s an eye opening experience that makes you realize how much there is to learn about the world.
Studying abroad has opened my eyes in more ways than one, and if you are ever on the fence of whether to go or not, just go. If you’re scared you’ll miss your friends or family, I can promise you that will be excited for you and that they will be home waiting for you with open arms. It’s an experience like no other. Like my taxi driver in Portugal said, “You will take so much away from this experience, but no one can take these moments away from you”.