Coming Home
It's hard to believe that not even two weeks ago I was still in Angers living the study abroad experience. As I reflect back on that experience, one stand alone memory comes to mind. I will never forget standing between four lanes of traffic, on a busy Paris night, taking a picture of the Champs-Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe. The cars for me represent how fast time seems to fly and that you get one chance at life so you should live it. I definitely believe that there is an non-academic side to study abroad that is equal if not more beneficial to one's experience. France for me, was a chance to live a life most would only dream of, if only for a short time. But, it is in that time that I believe I learned the most about myself. Putting yourself in a different environment, country, speaking a different language forces you to change and adapt and that's exactly what us "study abroaders" did. I discovered an inner strength that I didn't know I posessed and I don't think I would have discovered if I hadn't studied abroad. For example, my dad got really sick during my study abroad experience. At first, I felt so angry for not being able to be with him and being in a foreign country. But, I feel like being in France gave me the strength to be there for my family emotionally even if I wasn't physically there.France helped me to carry on and experience things for my family. I know that my daily e-mails and phone calls documenting all the things I was doing and seeing was the best medecine I could have given to my father. The things I took away from France personally will stay with me forever. Not everything in France was perfect but I learned from every experience I had and I am grateful for it.People really are correct when they say study abroad changes you forever. It sure changed me.