My STEP Project was to travel around Europe while I was studying abroad in London. I used my STEP money primarily to help pay for food, travel, and accommodations. By the end of my study abroad experience I had traveled to 13 different countries.
Being able to travel so frequently was an eye opening and transformational experience. “My bag was always packed” was a reality not just something people say. Almost every weekend I was somewhere new. This really proved to me how crazy traveling in America is. The amount of money I pay for a round trip from home to Ohio and back is about the same price as five round trip tickets to five different countries when my home base was London.
I was also amazed at how much of an impact America has on the rest of the world. I used to think America was a young country and that our problems were ours; but we are a HUGE country and everything we do effects everyone. I ran into so many people I know in so many different countries – it is truly a small world. Of course the huge chunk of land called America is massively influential in the world.
The activities that I did on this journey were amazing. I tried the local foods, learned about the local history and land, and explored more than ever before. I skied in the alps in Chamonix, France, did a road trip of the South of France, drove ATVs in Santorini, Greece, and so much more. While all of these activities were some of the most fun times I’ve ever had in my life, they were also interesting ways to get to know a place. I saw landscapes upon landscapes, aerial views of cities – seeing every place from all angels.
Every country I went to I got to interact with the locals. At restaurants and pubs I would get questions about Trump the minute my accent was detected. Stereotypes of Spanish people, Italian people, German people, etc. were all tested as I stepped foot into their homes. We are all humans and should all be on the same team to make the world a happy place.
Personally, being put in a country (London) where I know no one and starting fresh when I already had an amazing life at Ohio State was really hard to do. I really stepped outside of my comfort zone and left with more confidence and social awareness. The friends I made from Texas and Minnesota were just about the same amount of ‘different’ from me as someone from London. The whole point is to understand a person’s prospective and become a more holistic person.
Academically I took classes that you can only take in London. I took an Art and Architecture class that explored paintings in museums and architecture in London and in person that go through the history of London. That being said, I also took a History of London class. This one was my favorite and something I truly learned a lot from and value. I wish classes could be more like it in America. I would have a lecture once a week on Mondays, and then on Wednesdays would be a tour of what we learned (such as Shakespeare’s London) all throughout London. So cool!! I miss it just thinking about it now.
This experience has taught me a lot about myself as a person, the world, and life lessons (outlined in a blog I took for my family to follow along):
Me
• Throughout all of my traveling, I think I have successfully changed myself into being more of a morning person. While I still don’t want to talk to you before 9am, I am functional. I much prefer a flight where I have to wake up at 2am so I can arrive in a new place and have the entire day than to wake up at a reasonable time. My body is currently waking me up at 9am on habit now, which I’m sure will fade pretty immediately.
• I think I have become a better leader. Through my friends and my rotation of leadership, it has been really cool to be able to switch from front seat to back seat without issues. I play a different role with different people, and it has been fun to learn those roles especially between my family and my friends.
• I have a great life everywhere! In Connecticut I have my awesome family and now a lot of my extended family in New York close by. My high school friends are still awesome and my homies. In Ohio I have a house full of friends I love, and that first semester living in the house was so freakin fun. In London I was traveling everywhere, learning, meeting new people and cultures, and being with a close group of girls.
• On the same point, I realized that I shouldn’t be content. I LOVE Ohio State and I LOVE my house and my friends and before leaving I questioned why the heck I would opt out of a semester in one of my favorite places ever. Why in my right mind would I decide to “waste” one of my 8 valuable semesters of my college years not being in my favorite college of all time? While that is still a crazy thought, this was amazing too! Just because life is good, doesn’t mean that life can’t be good some place else or can’t be better. It is kind of like how I think people are crazy when they think there is only “one true love for them out there.” I don’t buy it! I think you can overflowingly love someone based on where you are and who it is and that can be many different people. This is just like my school situation. Maybe it isn’t, but I feel it.
• I realized social media is so annoying. You’ve read my rants, and my instagram will stay deleted, I will continue to not watch snapstories unless I am singling someone out (like if Erin visited Lekha or something I’d watch both of theirs), and I will try to use Facebook less as I have been doing (hardly posted any abroad pictures). People shouldn’t like me based on my pictures, and if they want to know about my life and whatnot, use other technology and call, text, facetime, meet up with, whatever me!
The World
• Explore more! I loved being able to go places almost every weekend. Even if I wasn’t in a different country, I was constantly exploring London. I have so many aspirations to explore the US now. I want to road trip everywhere and take friends and all that jazz, I’m pumped!
• America is freakin huge! I used to think America was just another country, but we are freakin gigantic. No shit we have an influence on the world. We may be young, but we affect everyone. The amount of people that wanted to talk about Trump was absurd! People really care and are effected by the decisions that are made in OUR country even if I may not care about the decisions made in Norway or somewhere random.
• Traveling in America is so much more difficult than abroad. So expensive and so much more is involved in the thought process of buying a plane ticket.
• In the Trevor Noah Netflix thing I watched he says: “Go to a place where they don’t speak your language and realize how insignificant you truly are. You’re not the center of the universe, there’s a world that exists beyond you.” I loved that! Being in Germany that first week was such a struggle. English is known in most other countries, but we suck. Most people here know 2 to maybe 5 languages on average. I’m making this up, but I feel like Americans on average know 1.2 languages. That sucks.
• People here hate talking about Brexit and are so against it just as much as I hate talking about Trump and am so against him
Lessons
• Take advantage of time. I don’t have a husband or a family or a job or anything tying me down really. This is the time to do crazy things! At the same token, naps and Netflix aren’t a waste of time. Sometimes you have to refuel and be healthy, and that’s okay. I’m always go go go and love being busy and feel like naps and things like that are wastes of time. Nah, they’re a necessity.
• There’s no rush to start a career. Jobs, yes I need that. But there is so much time on the other end too. So much of my life will be at my career I don’t need to jump into something that pays money that can support my non-existing family immediately.
• Save on the little things, and it is okay the splurge. Compared to my friends abroad, I saved so much money not drinking coffee every day, and not shopping a lot. I value food, and adventure – so I will splurge sometimes on an amazing meal or adventure. Fret not, it’ll balance out. I’m always conscious about it, so I won’t let myself over-splurge, but just do it sometimes!
• Say yes! I almost didn’t do the South of France road trip. Financially it was frustrating seeing flights for 200 pounds that were only 12 pounds the following week. Besides that, I almost decided not to drive. I have never been the best manual driver and driving in a new place with signs I didn’t know and directions I didn’t have with a stick was scary. I am SO happy I said yes to both of these things and it ended up being one of my favorite weekends abroad!
•Drink water!!!
