As junior year spring rolls around and most of your fellow classmates are studying abroad, you might feel a bit of FOMO. It is normal, of course, to feel like you’re missing out on something even better than your own campus as you see people posting pictures in a different country every weekend as they gallivant around Europe. As someone who loves to travel but was unable to study abroad due to COVID as well as being on a sports team, after almost three years of going nowhere, I was itching to step out of my boundaries and go somewhere, anywhere.
Luckily, it just so happened that one of my closest friends from home is studying abroad this semester in Spain. Though we thought this was a long shot, another friend and I proposed a plan to visit our bestie in Spain. Our parents agreed, and the planning began. We decided that Spring Break was the perfect time to go, so after a lot of bargain-hunting on airline websites, we booked a flight to Madrid. My friend and I were so incredibly blessed to be able to have this opportunity, and I know that traveling is not the most feasible for everyone, but if you are given the chance, I advise you take it.
This one week in Spain truly changed my life. From the culture to the views to the people we met and experiences we had, I wouldn’t take back a single second. It was so fulfilling to be placed in a city where I knew no one except my best friends and to travel around Spain with them. These are moments that I know the three of us will talk about forever and tell our own kids about when they too want to travel. Although I myself did not get to study abroad, I got to live vicariously through my friend while she showed me around her new “home.”
I do think that if you are able to study abroad, you should absolutely take advantage of that experience. However, if you are like me and are unable to study abroad but can potentially visit a friend who is, that will suffice. Going to different countries, meeting new people, and seeing another place’s contrasting customs is so important for understanding people and developing a global perspective on the world. When you can see the world from a different lens, you will be more empathetic to others and better able to help those different from you. In short, get out and see the world, even if it’s out of your comfort zone! I promise you won’t regret it.