Before I left to study for the semester abroad, I was very excited. This was mainly because I have a very culturally diverse background. Being a french citizen and growing up in a French household i feel like gave me an upper hand when packing up and moving to France for 4 months. Looking back at it now, I realized that as much as a background I had, it was the same for everyone. Everyone had to get used to living in a strangers home, who did not speak our own language, and everyone had to familiaarize themselves with all these new people and places we were all visiting. So, to say the least, I was very wrong at assuming I would have no problem with the whole transition.
During my time away I realized a few things, one of them being, I needed some time away from everything that I was used to and everything that made me comfortable. On my kitchen wall back home, my mother hung a sign that says “Life begins once you step out of your comfort zone”. All throughout high school I would wake up and read that sign, and always thought how dumb it was. I never realized how accurate it really was until I I was four months deep studying abroad living in a strangers house.
Its safe to say I enjoyed my time abroad, it helped me reflect on the way I viewed life and the world. I experienced things I never thought I would, traveled to places I thought Id never see, and met some people I did not expect Id meet. I am thankful, to say the least that I embarkekd on this experience, and would highly recommend it to anyone who is even considering it, because I guarantee you it will marl your college journey.