Thinking Out Loud

For me, having so much time away from the U.S. and the craziness that can come with a semester at Amherst has allowed me to think and reflect on a variety of topics relating to myself, who I am at this point, and who I would like to be in the future. Thus, in many ways, the quieter moments of this semester abroad have been a godsend.

I think this time to reflect has been particularly important for me because I’m a senior and set to graduate in around half a year (!!!). I’ve felt that in the past three years in college, I haven’t really had the time to truly sit back and think about the bigger picture for myself since things seem to move so quickly. It’s such a cliché, but college really has flown by for me - for example, I still vividly remember events or moments from my freshman year since they feel so recent. Realizing that some of these things happened three years ago at this point is a truly humbling experience. 

Anyway, even if you’re not a senior who’s feeling this existentialism due to the impending graduation date, I know that studying abroad can still provide so much valuable time and room for self-reflection. Obviously, this won’t happen for everyone, and I totally understand wanting to study abroad and just completely party it out for three to four months, but if you also come into the semester with the hope of learning a little bit more about yourself, such as what you truly enjoy doing or how you handle independence or loneliness, the semester can be incredible and transformative, in addition to being fun.

As cheesy as it might sound, the semester HAS been life-altering. I’ve been able to realize so much about people from other cultures and countries but also learn so much about myself regarding some of the topics I mentioned above (i.e. independence or pleasure). I think that because studying abroad switches up so many aspects of your life that you might have taken for granted, there’s so much that you can learn from these few months. 

I’ll add an anecdote since I’m just getting home from fall break and a pretty extensive solo trip in mostly Central Europe. First and foremost, this whole concept of solo tripping would not have happened if I was back in the United States. Before this semester, traveling alone to different cities or countries always seemed boring or just a waste of time/resources to me. However, when the idea came to me in Paris, I realized that nothing was really stopping me from having an amazing time in these unique places alone. While there are obviously pros and cons, by being abroad and experiencing the solo tripping life for myself, I was able to see first-hand what I liked or didn’t like about it. 

Secondly, one of the many things I learned or reflected on this semester, and especially during my trip, is just how far entering a conversation with a smile gets you. I’ve found that, especially overseas, since sometimes there’s a language barrier, a friendly smile and polite greeting is a game changer for interacting with anyone. Personally, I had to ask a lot of random folks, other tourists or locals walking down the street, to take photos for me on my trip, so this was just something that I noticed throughout my trip. I realize this sounds pretty obvious, but this experience really reinforced this notion for me, and I will continue to approach people with smiles in the future, even when I return to the United States and Amherst.

So, when I reflect on how my semester has gone so far, I’m able to see not only the high-level changes but also these more minute adjustments that I’ve made. For me, I feel as though I’ve gotten everything I could have wanted out of my study abroad as I’ve had the time of my life through exciting and new experiences in a new continent, but I’ve also been able to have so many important takeaways and moments of personal growth in such a compact time frame. All in all, I reflect on this semester so far and this solo trip with relief since I think that having some of these thoughts, experiences, and realizations early on in my 20's is super valuable.