MY SEMESTER ABROAD

The ups, the downs and the unforgettable experience that forever changed me.

They say we have different seasons of our lives, right? We learn new things in each while finding a new part of ourselves at the same time. Life is filled with ups and downs; we all know this. What I didn’t know until my time abroad is that those ups and downs can happen simultaneously and that not all downs are bad and not all ups are good. I’ve said it multiple times on here before along with telling every person that asks: my semester abroad was, hands down, the most life changing, best four months of my life. I usually follow that sentence with saying something that no one who had gone before me had told me; it was also the hardest thing I have ever done. Here’s why all the hardships were undeniably worth every bit in order to experience the ultimate highs I experienced during my time abroad.

My mom asked me on our flight to Europe, “why did you pick Prague?,” and I had no answer. I didn’t know why I picked it but somehow I made the most perfect decision. Prague was not only a home to me but the setting for some of the most unexpected, phenomenal, spontaneous and heart wrenching experiences I have ever had to go through. I met forever friends and saw places only my Pinterest boards could have predicted. I navigated my way through foreign countries with only Google Trips and Yelp to get us acquainted. Not to mention the inevitable language barrier that led to many moments of frustration but also more laughs than I could describe.

I also dealt with home sickness. The part we all think we won’t endure because we go to college away from home, right? I guess I never factored in the difference between a 3-hour drive and a 10-hour plane ride across the pond. Oh, and the time zone change…that’ll get ya. I can’t even count the amount of times my friends abroad and I would just laugh at how the only people that can really understand how unbelievable the experience is while also being so insanely difficult are the ones who do it. Talk about independence. What took me a while to realize is that not everyone can study abroad and that’s okay. Trust me, I was half way through and still didn’t think I could do it until my mom said; “look, you already did it!” It was a semester filled with all kinds of firsts: flying alone, being in foreign countries with virtually no itinerary, getting anxiety (that was fun), drinking legally and meeting people who can relate on new levels.

I won’t sit here and say my abroad experience was any better than anyone elses, but I do hope everyone’s was just as good if not better. Was it the most seamless transition and time away from home? Of course not. But that’s life. It wouldn’t be life if everything was easy and it wouldn’t be worth it if it didn’t have some bumps along the way. All I know is that this experience changed me for the rest of my life and I hope each and every one of you have an experience where you can say the same. If you’re contemplating a decision to go abroad, go. If you have any other decisions you need to make, do it. Life is far too short and the world is way too small to sit and wait for something to happen. Go out and make it happen, while being kind of course!

XOXO,

Simply Complicated