I realized a few months ago that I had never posted a recap of my time in Scotland, so I decided that a year since I started my journey would be a good time to do so. Obviously SO much has happened in a year, in my life and in the world. Everyday I feel eternally grateful to have been able to go abroad in general, as so many of my friends got their experiences cut short in the spring due to COVID-19. This pandemic has made all of the things that I was able to do while in Europe seem impossible at this point in time. Imagining life before having to wear a mask, without the words "social distancing" being used together, or just to be in an environment with complete strangers can seem overwhelming at times. However, I wanted to touch on some of the experiences that I had and to share some of the things that I learned during my three months in Scotland.
Independence. This has become very important to my life since I have been home. I feel more confident in my own abilities, and am much more self sufficient. I learned how to cook, as I lived in an apartment for the first time. Before I left, I barely could make mac and cheese from a box. By the time I returned to America, I had not only made a full Thanksgiving dinner for myself/roommates, but I can cook just about anything and I am actually pretty good at it. It is very nice being comfortable in the kitchen and being able to be on my own in that aspect of my life!
Friendships. I loved how close all of the people in my CIS program became and how close I became with my roommates. There were 7 girls in our program, which was really nice because it was small enough for us to all get to know each other really well. Our program director took us on excursions which brought us all closer. It made me feel a lot more comfortable right from the start (literally on the first day that I arrived) when I met everyone. It was nice to have a little family while I was away from my own. I became even more comfortable in my ability to make friends and deep connections with strangers. This is something that I will take with me for the rest of my life. Also, the friendships I made will certainly last many many years to come, as I am still in contact with many of my friends that I made abroad.
Travel. I never really realized how much I was interested in traveling until I had my first real taste of it. I used to think that my family vacations to Florida or even on Caribbean cruises were good enough for me. Once I had a taste of being on my own, learning about new cultures, and a newfound confidence in myself, I became so much more interested in traveling. I have so many more places that I would like to visit and/or go back to once traveling becomes safe to do again. I feel so lucky that I was able to realize this about myself at such a young age. Now, this is something that I will be able to do for the rest of my life.
Learning. Doing school in another country is NOT easy. I have always been confident in my abilities to do schoolwork. However, all of my experiences had taken place in America. Some people's classes abroad are a walk in the park, but mine certainly weren't. Not only did I struggle to adapt to a different way of teaching, but I had teachers with very thick Scottish accents on top of that. Their methods included more self teaching than I had ever experienced before. My teachers were very hard graders which for some reason shocked me. I had to try very hard to receive the grades that I did, which was something that I had never really experienced before in my life. In a positive light, due to COVID, my classes at UNH are now a blended learning style with an emphasis on self teaching. This makes me I feel as though I have a bit of a leg up over my peers, because I have already spent an entire semester of learning in this format.
Risk Taking. When I was a freshman in college, you could've told me that I would study abroad and I would've laughed. I had no interest in leaving the country for any extended period of time. I barely wanted to be 2.5 hours of a drive away from home, let alone a 7 hour plane ride. Leaving the comfort of home and my family (especially my mom) made me feel super anxious. I was NOT doing it. Although, once I got through a few years of college and grew up a bit, I realized that this would be the only time in my life that I would be able to have an experience such as this one. I could leave for a few months with little to no responsibilities (particularly financial). The opportunity presented itself and I could not in my right mind pass it up. And thank God I went for it. I took the biggest risk that I ever had, and I never looked back. Well maybe once or twice, but for the most part I didn't. I could not imagine if I had never gotten on that plane to Edinburgh. It was the best choice I have ever made, but I wouldn't have ever known this if I had decided to play it safe.
To summarize, have confidence in yourself and allow yourself to take a leap of faith. Going to a new country on your own can be super scary but it is so rewarding! Once I was able to get used to my new "normal" in Scotland I never wanted to leave. Again, in this time of COVID we are all getting used to a new "normal" (which is obviously very different than going abroad). However, change is the only constant in life. No matter how difficult and scary change can be, it is an essential tool for building character and learning more about yourself.
Comments
Post a Comment