This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Virginia Tech chapter.
The summer after my freshman year at Virginia Tech I had the unforgetable opportunity to study abroad in London. A timid, uncultured nineteen-year-old, I embarked on this journey with my overpacked suitcase and a crumpled tube map. I did not know anyone in my group studying abroad with me and was traveling to a country I had never been to before. Little did I know, as I got off the plane at Heathrow, that I would come back from this adventure with a changed career path, a new roommate who ended up becoming one of my best friends, and a new perspective of the world. Below is a list of some of the lessons I learned on my European adventure.
- Everything can be figured out.
- Student discounts are a real and incredible thing. Don’t be afraid to ask.
- Sometimes what you think is making you happy might actually be making you miserable. It takes new people and experiences to realize this.
- You will gain weight, or you can miss out on trying new and delicious food.
- Don’t actually fill your suitcase to the brim because, despite what you might tell yourself, you will buy lots of souvenirs. The line between needs and wants becomes very fuzzy under those city streetlights. Also, the line between your savings account and money you planned to spend becomes fuzzy too.
- You can’t fix people, you can only love them. Sometimes even that isn’t enough.
- Living abroad gave me a new perspective of growing up in the United States and made me appreciate my childhood.
- My parents did something right when raising me.
- If you want to eat it, eat it. You don’t know when you’ll have the chance to try it again.
- Make a budget, then triple it.
- If you get homesick, you’re not doing enough.
- You don’t have to agree with everyone, but you do have to respect them.
- Some people really want to rip you off.
- Some people really want to help a stranger.
- You don’t actually need rainboots in London.
- Don’t be afraid to venture out on your own.
- Don’t dwell on the things you miss at home.
- Studying abroad will change you as a person. Sometimes you might even share your dessert.