Why YOU Should Study Abroad

I stumbled upon CBYX for the first time in seventh grade. I had just finished reading Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch. And I, a lover of cheesy young-adult romances, was obsessed with the novel. The protagonist, whose name has escaped me, is forced to move to Italy and live with her estranged father after her mother dies. Wanting to experience her senior year of high school, she is devastated. Despite her initial dismay, she falls in love with Italy and a cute Italian boy. So, every preteen Hallmark dream. My immense jealousy of the aforementioned protagonist led me to Google, "study abroad high school", which led to hours of scrolling.

When I found CBYX, it felt too good to be true. In fact, I do not believe I told anyone about the program until I began applying my freshman year. I regarded it as an unrealistic dream, something that would be too far out of my reach. Despite my secretive nature, I was obsessed with the program. I must have scrolled through CBYX videos for hours on YouTube, and I read blog posts older than me. When I thought about studying abroad, my heart started beating faster, and something in my gut felt undistinguishably right. At the time, I categorized these feelings as hope and excitement, but in hindsight, I think that was the Holy Spirit’s way of saying, “this is where I want you.”

Despite it being the more romantic reason, my gut instinct was not the only reason I packed up and moved across the Atlantic. I also knew that I was interested in travel and politics as a future career, and CBYX gives a little more insight into German-American relations and the political side of exchange than most programs. Also, I knew that I wanted to see the world, but worldwide vacations are not a finical possibility for my family. But honestly, I am still unable to pinpoint one exact reason.

Some might say that my lack of straightforward reasoning means that I lack motivation or that my intentions for studying abroad are impure, but I disagree. I think I was simply yearning for adventure, and maybe I was a little too immature to fathom all the ways my life would change. I believe the Holy Spirit (or my “gut instinct”) already knew all the things I would learn while abroad, but I have had to live through these five months to catch up on the reasoning. And while I was brave enough to go with my gut, I know not everyone is my breed of crazy, so I have compiled a list of reasons justifying my decision to study abroad.

Firstly, you will realize there is more to the world than America. While I understood that America is not the only country, I failed to grasp how different life is around the globe. During my first few weeks in Germany along with the two weeks I spent in Turkey, I was continually amazed at the similarities and differences between Germany, Turkey, and America. Personally, I believe the American education system poorly educates children on the realities of the world. They teach us all African countries are poor, Germany is all beer and drindls, and Middle Eastern countries are hostile and dangerous. While in reality, both Germany and Turkey held a lot of similarities to America when it boils down to everyday life. Honestly, it is a little embarrassing to look back on my miseducation and ignorance before my exchange.

Secondly, you will find your true identity. Without realizing it, I subconsciously was dependent on my routine in America. Rather than taking pride in my character or attributes, I placed a lot of my identity on what I did. I found identity in my church, school, swim team, and hobbies. Even more so, I found my worth from these sources. I relied heavily on feelings of accomplishment and validation to dictate my self-worth, and without them, I felt lost. I lost sight of my character and goals along with my identity. I stopped talking to God, I stopped learning, and I let myself get anxious and sad. It was not an overnight process, and I am still working on it, but I have since learned that my identity comes from who God says I am and the me He created predestined for a purpose. And if you are not religious, I do not believe identity has to come from God. Fundamentally, I believe identity comes from within, not from an external source. Without being plucked from my comfort zone, I do not know if I would have ever made the switch from external validation to internal identity.

Thirdly, the importance of knowing yourself mentally. Before studying abroad, I knew I was an anxious person, and I had already dealt with feelings of anxiety. In fact, I was relatively decent at managing anxiety within my safe spaces. However, I learned after coming to Germany, that I only knew how to manage my anxiety when I had access to a plethora of resources. I could manage my anxiety when I was in a familiar atmosphere with people I knew, but I had no clue what to do when I was alone in a foreign country. Life was a breeze for the first two months of my exchange, but after the two-month mark, the anxiety began to back creep in. I found myself plagued with constant stomach aches and an uneasy mind. Again, it took time, but I figured out what was triggering my anxiety, and a big part of it was the lack of routine. So, I took control of the situation and set some rules for myself. I try and go for a walk after school every day (German weather dependent); I do the same skincare routine every night before bed: I read my Bible every night between 8-9 PM; I make at least two plans with friends per week. This may all seem frivolous, but it has gotten me out of bed and optimistic about life for the past three months.

Lastly, studying abroad teaches you how to be a good, functioning member of society. I have learned to be (somewhat) organized and tidy from sharing a house with my host family. I have learned to respect others’ time and energy from relying on my host parents. I have developed a new empathy for anyone who is brand new. I am more understanding to foreigners. And lastly, I have a generally more mature view of how the world works. I would have developed these traits without studying abroad, but I do believe leaving home fast tracks character growth. So, whether it is effectively communicating, taking the train, or explaining the German government system (okay, let’s keep it real, no foreigner can do that) I now have real experience and confidence in my abilities.

Perhaps you are thinking, “I still don’t understand why she would move to Germany”, and in that case, I still have five months to catch up on my gut’s reasoning. And if you are thinking, “Wow! She has fantastic reasoning!”, maybe CBYX is for you; here is the website link: https://usagermanyscholarship.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAip-PBhDVARIsAPP2xc3I5rCUWN3bqsorL9jyjAqVHqj5IxbTJSbb1nXl_dMSySa1bzj0t44aAmzOEALw_wcB. Regardless, I know that this experience has been invaluable to my development as a person and my future contributions to society. Even if I did not have sound reasoning until a few months in.

XOXO,

Bookish Babble