Travel Changes You

My passport stamps from Germany.

I am four months into this wonderful and life changing adventure, and I can say with all honesty, that I've loved every minute of it.  Everyone says travel changes you, but I wasn't sure how this experience would impact me personally.  Today, I am way more independent and self reliant.  I've always been independent, but I wasn't very confident in my ability exert such brazen independence without the comforting safety net of family nearby.  Moving to a new country and even just traveling by myself has taught me that I am every bit as capable as my family believed I was.

I have also gained a lot of clarity about what I want in life.  When I arrived in the UK, I was convinced that I wanted to work for a big international company and come work and live abroad full time.  I also thought that a career that had me traveling 70-90% of the time would be completely doable and even fun.  Thankfully, now with a bit more life experience and time under my belt, I have realized that even though I love to travel, traveling all of the time isn't nearly as glamorous as it looks in the magazines; it's actually kind of exhausting.  As to living abroad, three months is about as long as I can go before I start feeling the pull to return home.  Luckily, I haven't suffered through any major homesickness, but like everyone, I have my moments where I'd give anything to see my friends and family or a familiar brand in the grocery store.

By spending this time abroad I have learned some incredibly important things about myself.  Now I know that the ex-pat life isn't for me, and that whatever career I eventually end up in, I would like to be home at least 50% of the time.  Knowing that I can tackle the Paris Metro system (entirely in French), the Frankfurt airport (weirdest security checkpoint ever), Heathrow airport (busiest airport in the world), visiting countries and not knowing the language (I don't speak a lick of German), and meeting new friends all over again (now I have friends from all of the corners of the world), gives me a newfound sense of confidence in my abilities to succeed at home.

To anyone who is on the fence about going abroad, I urge you to consider it.  It's more affordable than you think, and the experience is truly life changing.  There is nothing like it.  It changes you.  You won't be the same person who got on that plane to that new destination, but you'll be better for it.  As for WSU students, our Education Abroad department has a great staff who will open a world of opportunity for you if you just make an appointment.