As anyone who follows me on Instagram knows, I studied abroad a little this summer in one of the greatest cities ever. It’s a city known for its art, culture, ancient ruins, crazy cab drivers, vino, pasta… you guessed it, Roma. First let me start by saying, I am so incredibly grateful that I could have this experience. It will always be a part of me. I had never been so far from home alone before. It was my first time traveling to Europe.
Now, you could sit here and read all about my many adventures while abroad, but this isn’t what I’m going to be talking about today. While I’d love to express how much I have come to appreciate espresso and Italian nightlife, there is something far more important that I’d like to express to you. These are the reasons why I believe that if you ever have the blessing of being able to study abroad, you should embark on your journey without your friends from home.
Before studying abroad, I was one to hang out with only the people who I was most comfortable with. I even joined a new organization at UTSA with a close friend from high school because I was nervous about joining something alone. When I was about to take off for Italy, I was so anxious and convinced that every other student on my trip would have gone with a friend and I would be the odd one out.
I was shocked and excited to find out that most of my study abroad group joined the trip not knowing a single soul, just like me. Because of this, we were forced to bond with one another and create crazy relationships. We were all so different: we came from different parts of the country, attended different universities, and had different interests. The one thing we had in common was that we were thousands of miles away from home, terrified and excited. That one similarity created so many beautiful friendships.
While I was exploring ancient ruins and trying every gelato flavor to ever exist with my new found thirty best friends, I kept thinking about how much more isolated I would have been if I had brought a best friend from home. Instead of taking every opportunity I got to go do something with a new, different group of people, I would be spending all of my time with one person who I felt comfortable with. This would not push my boundaries, and I would not have had the same experience. Sometimes, it’s more fun to be uncomfortable.
I saw this pattern happening with the few people who did travel with their best friend on this trip. While we were all bonding and learning about one another, they would be off doing there own thing, and we never really heard from them. Of course, this is not a bad thing and I’m sure it’s absolutely wonderful to see a new country with your best friend, but it just seemed a lot more lonely.
Pushing myself to become a social butterfly made me realize many important lessons. I was once super introverted and wouldn’t introduce myself to anyone first. I was afraid of what people might think of me. I realized that in another country, I didn’t have to be the version of myself that was timid, I could be anyone. I decided to become an extrovert on redbull. I learned that once I opened myself up to people, they usually liked me. I became so incredibly confident and sure of myself.
People aren’t joking when they say study abroad trips will change your life. I learned how to become unafraid of people’s opinions, and how to make friends with just about anyone. I owe this all to my independence, and not relying on another person while I took this insane journey.
To anyone who is thinking about studying abroad–
DO IT!!! It WILL change your life. I know it’s scary, but it’s worth it. You will come back wiser, more patient, and all around more cultured. It will teach you things about yourself and the world around you. Go with a friend if you want, but go without a friend if you want to grow immensely. The friends you meet while abroad are like no other. There are some really amazing people in this world that you won’t get to know unless you put yourself out there. Go and be yourself, or reinvent yourself. In a new country, no one knows you. You can be whoever you want.