Short Answer:
YES!
Long Answer:
Also yes! As a homebody, who has never left the country and rarely does things out of her comfort zone, it was terrifying. I was so anxious at the airport, I could not speak with without tears filling my eyes. My trip to York, England and London, England was only about two weeks, but that is the longest I’ve ever been completely “alone”. To make matters more interesting, I didn’t know a single person on my trip.
There were 18 of us, 15 students and 3 professors. We were paired up at the airport gate so we all had a roommate. Ironically, the first girl I talked to was my roommate, and we didn’t know when we first met. It was an extremely long travel day. We were at the airport for 3 hours, had a red-eye 7 hour flight, a taxi ride, a train ride, and a long walk. The first day was brutal. I was exhausted and still very overwhelmed knowing that I wouldn’t be home for another two weeks. I’m a veryyyy picky eater, like, the diet of a toddler, so finding food I would eat was challenging.
Most of our days were jam packed and included a lot of physical activity. It took a few days to adjust to the five hour time difference, but eventually I became comfortable in the location we were staying and the people I was surrounded by. Before I went to York, I binged all of the Harry Potter movies, which was the best decision because we were literally in the middle of the inspiration that created Harry Potter. The culture was so fascinating, it was sort of like being in an alternate universe. The residents spoke English, but everything else about them was different.
Although most of my diet, if not all, was pizza, I found the absolute BEST pizza spot. It is an Italian restaurant called Zizzi’s. Their flatbread pizza was so amazing I went there four times in two weeks. The only thing I couldn’t get used to was the lack of ice. As an avid ice eater, I was having major withdrawals while in England.
The “study” part of study abroad was just as much fun. Our course was “The Gothic Imagination”, which included visiting many ruins, castles, and religious places. The architecture, most of which were ruins, were captivating. I have never seen buildings so beautiful. It was so surreal to stand in buildings or near ruins that were legitimately older than my home country. Of course, I found some sort of souvenir from every place we went to. Between post cards, candy, clothing, key chains, and the occasional Harry Potter trinket, I went home with a lot more than I came with.
Throughout my trip, I also made some good friends! I’m not the type of person to go out of my way to talk to someone if I don’t have to, mostly because I’m a shy, introverted person. However, the girls I became friends with were absolutely amazing. We had so much fun exploring in our free time, picking up new slang, and being true “tourists”. On our last night, my roommate and I went to a concert. The idea was kind of crazy, considering our early departure time and even longer flight home. However, we had an absolute blast. It was the best way to end the trip.
Overall, it was one of the best experiences I’ve had while being a student at CNU. It pushed me out of my comfort zone, opened my mind, and made me much intentional with my life. I miss England all of the time, and I can’t wait to go back! If you are thinking about study abroad, just go for it! It is truly a once in a lifetime experience.