Picture your study abroad trip with your college being the first opportunity you have to apply for a passport. Couple this experience with the anticipation of meeting and acclimating yourself with others' culture and way of life, thus far unknown to you. This is me, and my experience. Traveling Abroad was both liberating and restrictive, just because there is so many things and places that I have no idea about... Especially the people- I don't know how to speak their language, how they use transportation and most importantly how to respect their culture while learning about it. Lucky for me, all worries were alleviated upon being immersed with different cultures and people in one place. My motto for this worry is to not dip your toe in when meeting new people that you may not think you have a lot in common with, but to jump head first into the pool of opportunity. The best part about meeting people who aren't familiar with your way of life is to discuss just that. I (from America) met people from Slovenia, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Canada, Pakistan and of course Spain, everyone equally amazing and intriguing. Thankfully we all had one thing in common, being that this was a class, and that thing being Sport. When first introducing ourselves we always started with our names and where we were from (naturally), which flowed into the topic of conversation of traditions and norms and the compare and contrast of pop culture, fashion, food, design, and life style which believe me can take up to a few days to unpack per country! This was the best part though, and believe me, others love to learn about you and where you are from as well, no matter how underwhelming you may think it is. A personal anecdote to meeting people from other countries and cities is to keep the relationship you build strong, beyond your time together, you never know where they are going and who they may become, what opportunities you may unlock and how useful it is to know that you have a friend in another country especially one you may visit one day, or the need of a locals input once traveling to that country. This was one of the best opportunities studying abroad brought me.
