Studying abroad has always been a dream of mine but it always seemed so intimidating. Thoughts always ran through my head of what if my group does not get along, what if I get lonely, or what if I don’t have a good relationship with my professor? These are common thoughts for many people but the reality is, this will be the best experience of your life. I studied abroad for three weeks and traveled to six different countries with our central spot being Zagreb, Croatia. My biggest fear is that I would not make any friends because I jumped into the program so late and missed out on some of the planning, but this was not the case. The second I touched down in Croatia I prayed these people would be my best friends. The first night we all went out to dinner and got to know names, what everyone was studying, and where they were from. From that point on all 16 of us spent every waking second together. This group of people were people I probably would’ve never had the privilege of meeting without studying abroad, we all had different backgrounds, different friends, and different personalities. For our group in particular there were four girls and 12 boys, and our professor had expressed that in the past he had never seen the boys and girls get so close. Our group had dinner together every night, we explored during the daytime, we planned movie nights, and the list can go on. My group helped me understand a different perspective about the class and myself, I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. These people will be my lifelong friends, and it would’ve never been possible without studying abroad.
