With many of my friends about to embark on their journey of studying abroad, I decided to post some advice from when I went abroad. Studying abroad was one of the greatest experiences of not only my college career, but of my entire life. I highly recommend doing it if you have the chance; who knows when you’ll have the chance to do it again!
By blogging while studying abroad, I was able to write down things I maybe wouldn’t have remembered if I didn’t. With that in mind, here is my advice to you if you find yourself studying abroad…
1.) Take Pictures – Ok, totally obvious. You’re obviously going to be taking millions upon millions of pictures while abroad. But take pictures of the little things. You don’t want to forget that quaint little cafe you went to every day, or the amazing meals you’ve enjoyed there. I documented practically all of my meals, and the restaurants I enjoyed them at.
2.) Go on adventures – Most of my greatest memories came from my friends and I spontaneously deciding to go somewhere for the weekend, or take a trip for a day. Day trip to Brighton? Why not. What’s stopping you from spending a weekend at a European music festival? One day on a whim we decided to walk Abbey Road, followed by wine and sunbathing at a local park. It was one of my favorite days.
3.) Eat the food. All of it. – This needs no explanation. Even if it’s weird, pull a Weird Al Yankovic and just eat it. Food is one of the best ways to experience and learn about a culture.
4.) Learn to say yes. – Afraid of heights? Face your fears! When’s the next time you’ll be on top of the Eiffel Tower?
5.) Get out of your comfort zone. – Those I’ve met who have truly put themselves out there while studying abroad have had the best experiences. Meet new people, whether it’s people on your program or the locals.
6.) Live every second of your time abroad. – Your time abroad will come to an quicker than you can eat a plate of fish and chips from Brighton. Like all good things, it must come to an end one day.
Happy traveling and happy blogging!
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