New City, New Independence

Well, I have been in London now for almost three months. Being in this city, in a new country, far away from home has allowed me to push myself and stay out of my comfort zone. Because of this, I have grown into a new form of independence that I did not originally have back home. I have always been interested in traveling and have done a lot of traveling around the states, so I had a good foundation of traveling independence and experience. Since this was my first time in Europe though, I started to sike myself out more than I ever had when traveling before.  

I have always been a pretty confident woman, but being abroad has boosted my confidence to a new level. I mean it is easy to be unsure and nervous being alone, especially in a new country. I felt that, when I first got here, I always had to have someone with me to go through the ‘steps’ of learning to be abroad. I soon realized that is not true at all, there are no real ‘steps’ of learning to be abroad, and that I was honestly doubting myself. It is ok to have people with you as you learn, especially when you first get to a new country because everyone in your program is trying to figure it out. Ask questions, go to places with people, test out being by yourself, and just slowly start to build up that confidence within yourself. 

The first few weeks of being here were something else though. I was overwhelmed, in a good way, and trying to get used to my new surroundings. Now, my experience may be different from others but when studying abroad, I think, everyone should try to challenge their abilities. Who knows, maybe you will surprise yourself as I did after about three months here in London. Looking back on when I first landed in London compared to now, I honestly think I have grown so much in this short amount of time. 

It is the little things that I look back on that show my confidence and independence growth, like being able to take the tube alone and without having to track every route on my phone! Understanding that it is ok to want to do your own thing while being here, and wander around the city, was something I was not comfortable with at first. Now, I wander around all of the time. I recognized that I did not have to make an extravagant solo trip around all of Europe or around the UK to prove this new independence that I was seeing come to life. As my time in London continued, I started taking myself on little trips by myself around downtown and eventually worked my way to doing other things. 

If I kept holding myself back like I felt like I originally was when I first got here, I would have never acknowledged all of the amazing ways I adapted to moving over 3,000 miles away from home. For me now, with the time I have left in London, I make it a point to try and write or take a picture of something every day that shows my favorite part of the day to reflect on my accomplishments while being abroad. I know that by the end of my program I will see even more confidence thanks to being in a new city, with new growing independence!