For three amazing weeks, I studied abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland. And now that the spring semester has begun, I have become one of the worst people on campus: The girl who can’t shut up about studying abroad.
Jokes aside, my study abroad experience has changed my life for the better in so many ways. First off, I went there without knowing a single person in the country, let alone my study abroad program. I was flying there by myself for the very first time. Both of these facts terrified me. I am not, by nature, a very adventurous person. I tend to stick with what is familiar and safe, even to my own detriment. Before this trip, I had burrowed so deep into what I couldn’t see. I was burying myself alive. I guess I thought I was responsible, practical even, for envisioning such a small life for myself. I really doubted myself. I didn’t think I could navigate a new city, make friends, or really anything without anyone to guide me. What this trip taught me is that I am more than capable of doing all of those things. I was able to navigate my neighborhood by the end of the first day, and the bus schedule by the end of the second week. I was able to roll with the punches when I missed the train my friends were on by 1 minute, or when my roommate and I had to hightail it to Lockerbie, Scotland to meet our landlady for an extra copy of our flat keys (that’s a long story). I got to make friendships with people I probably wouldn’t have known if not for this experience.
So, to anyone who is considering studying abroad, I have to say: Do it! Do it even if you’re scared, and you don’t know anyone there. Because you will learn so much about the world around you and who you are. You’ll look at both of those things differently by the end of your trip.