"Ch, Ch, Changes"

Studying abroad makes everyone think and ponder over life a lot. You find yourself sitting on the bus, train, or airplane having these deep, almost "come to Jesus moments"--except you are not coming to Jesus you are just being very deep. I often think about who I am as a person and I will see something, whether it be a river, painting, a cliff, etc. and I look at it as if I am a seeing the sun shine for the first time. I cannot speak for everyone, but these are my study abroad moments where I am just silent for 5,10, even 15 minutes--and that's rare if you know me--because I am really just taking it all in and thinking "I'm here and this is amazing".

 I have gotten a few messages from family members being like you have changed since you've been abroad. When I read those messages, all I think is no I haven't...not even a little. The thing is everyone is a little different while abroad and that's because you have to be. There have been times during my travels where I was like if I was home, I would be totally freaking out. But here, I just take a deep breath and go with it.

 Sure, I could totally freak out about having to stay with two 40 year olds in a hostel, but really who would that help? I could totally freak out about how I jumped a fence, or how my friends and I were approached by two convicts in a pub and actually talked to them for over an hour, but freaking out is not helpful. It's actually the least helpful thing you can do.

 I think everyone I know has gone through something while abroad that would have normally sent them over the edge. Case A is my friend Rachel from home. She got BED BUGS in her apartment this past week! That's right folks the little ginger I was with in London, had to deal with bed bugs, and she still has all the bites to prove it. Home Rachel would have been on the next bus back and snuggled with her dog for the next 48 hours.

 But, we aren't home and there is no bus back. So what do we do, we cope and then we thrive. Plus, these crazy stories are the ones we end up telling everyone back at home, because everyone loves a ridiculous story (I don't want to talk to you if you don't love a ridiculous story).

 Okay, maybe you are wondering well it's kind of odd that you would not change at all while abroad. So maybe I lied a little bit...you do change. You become an insanely independent person and you get a severe case of FOMO (fear of missing out) because you want to have as many adventures as possible and collect as many ridiculous--and I hope dramatic--stories as possible. I do not think I would call that changing, but I would call it growing up.

Until tomorrow's adventure,
Hannah