From America to Europe

Leaving the United States for the first time is both very exciting and very scary. You’ll be excited to jump on the plane and soak in everything Europe has to offer, but you won’t be able to hep thinking about the “what ifs.” Until the moment you step off the plane, you can only imagine what it will be like.

This experience allowed me to really step out of my comfort zone. I had to adapt to the languages of each country we visited. This was the first time I had ever experienced a language barrier. At first, it was hard to understand the countries’ values or how to communicate. With the more people I encountered, I learned how to put myself in their shoes in order to adapt to their culture.

Stepping Out of my Comfort Zone

This was the first trip that I went on by myself without my parents or other family members. After navigating through foreign cities, making decisions about where to go and what to do, I realized this was the most independent I had ever been.

As we traveled to each country, I became more confident in using the transportation systems. I started to notice what was similar rather than what was different. Meeting new people, making new friends and connections was another way to step out of my comfort zone. In order to put yourself out there, you have to realize that everyone else on the trip is most likely having the same feelings that you are.

I know that my trip would not have been the same if it weren’t for all of the friends I made during the 3 weeks abroad. We shared so many fun moments and because of them, I have so many amazing memories and stories to share.

Know Before You Go

One thing I would highly recommend is looking at your itinerary and researching the cities you are visiting before you leave the U.S. There are multiple free days on the seminar and each city is different. You won’t want to regret missing out on something because you didn’t know about it!

For example, you could have a picnic and drink champagne in front of the Eiffel Tower!