This summer, I was given the opportunity to study abroad in Germany, France, Belgium, and Austria. To say this trip was nothing short of amazing would be a complete understatement. Before this trip, I had never traveled this far without my parents. When the idea of such an experience came about, my parents were so supportive of me, so I decided to take a leap and go across the ocean for a whole month with a group of people who ended up being friends I would cherish forever. Throughout this trip, I was able to get to know new people, visit my now-favorite city, and expand my knowledge of government in the EU.
My favorite part of the trip was who I shared it with. We had a few meetings before taking off to Germany, but I really did not know anyone, so I was going in with a blind eye. I established a great friendship with everyone on this adventure, and it was so amazing to get to know each person individually in a completely different country. Since returning to the United States, I have reunited with my favorite people, and we have been able to spend time together, “in real life” is what we like to call it, because we did not know each other before going on this adventure. Each person in our group was from a completely different upbringing, and I enjoyed getting to dive into each person’s upbringing, beliefs, and future goals.
Throughout this trip, we specifically visited Berlin, Paris, Brussels, and Salzburg. My favorite place we visited was Paris, France, because the shopping districts were nothing like I had ever seen before, and being on top of the Eiffel Tower felt like I was on top of the world. Paris also had some of the best food ever, especially my favorite food, Pho. Walking throughout Paris, visiting the Louvre, and taking the train over to many markets full of souvenirs and original paintings was so amazing. Our time in Paris was only 4 days out of the month that we were gone, but it was by far the time that I cherished the most. We had two free days during our stay, so there was tons of time to wander around and explore.
The basis of our trip was about the EU government, how it operates, and its’ incorporation with NATO, considering that most of us were Political Science majors. My favorite place that we visited was NATO in Brussels, Belgium. During our visit, we went through top security to be able to even enter the gates, and then had to walk a good distance to be able to enter the main building. We were not allowed to take any pictures, and our phones had to be completely off when we entered the building. Throughout our visit, we had three different briefings with NATO workers who talked about foreign relations, their everyday lives working in NATO, how they ended up with that job, and NATO’s role with other countries and their agreements with each other.
Attending a study abroad program is the best decision I have ever made in my life. I now view international affairs so differently, and I can hold conversations with people based on Europe. I will definitely recommend that anyone study abroad, no matter where it is or what it consists of. There is so much of the world that we have never seen, and being able to experience it at a young age is something I will cherish forever.