What I learned From Studying Abroad

On December 29, 2017 I took a plane to London with my older sister. That day, my six month adventure in Europe officially began. Studying abroad was an experience I had been looking forward to in college. My sister spent a summer in China then a semester in Europe before she finished her undergraduate degree and I wanted to have a similar experience. I was really excited to go, but as it got closer to leaving I began to have second thoughts. I had never traveled out of the country by myself before, I am NOT good at flying because of my anxiety and claustrophobia issues, and to top it all off, I got so used to my home university I was scared to have to go to a new place. However, I constantly pushed through the bad thoughts and told myself that I could do anything I set my mind to. I told myself that going abroad would be a good experience for me, and if anything went really wrong I had my sister 9 hours away by bus in London. So, with that, I set off to Scotland and started the semester. While in Scotland and traveling abroad I learned 3 important things about myself.

1. You don't need anyone to hold your hand.

Throughout my entire life whether it be in high school or in college I had a large support group for the numerous occasions I massively screwed up. Going abroad made me realize that I was on my own, but it was a good experience. I realized that I could survive at a larger public university. Then I realized after several trips to other countries that I could adapt to consistently changing environments away from other native English speakers. What I found by doing this, was that I actually liked moving around. I liked experiencing new cultures, having the opportunity to learn new languages I had never been exposed to before, and I LOVED meeting new people. I learned a lot about myself from this experience and I hope that my personal growth continues well after I leave the UK.

2. Your desire to travel and see the world is stronger than your fears

Before I traveled abroad I was afraid of so many things. I HATED flying, heights, getting lost, I'd have panic attacks in elevators, but most of all, I was afraid of failing. I faced all my fears by coming abroad. Flying bothers me a lot less now, getting lost is no big deal because I know I can always find my way eventually, and I don't fear failure. In Scotland, and in London I have surrounded myself with amazing individuals through my social media platforms and by creating my photography business. These individuals as well as two amazing books titled, "Think and Grow Rich" by Napolean Hill and "The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People" by Stephen Covey showed me that failure is a part of anything great. It isn't something I should be afraid of. I have felt like I failed many times throughout this semester with finding a summer internship or not doing enough to promote my business, but I know now that failure drives me to try harder and do more. Sure, there were times where I felt defeated, but I pushed myself to keep going because no one that has ever made it in the world has accepted defeat. You aren't done when you fail, you are done when you give up because of failing. Throughout all of this, and my time abroad I realized that I love traveling and I want to travel Asia next summer. I realized that my desire to travel is so strong that desire outweighs the fears that used to hold me back. I realized that as long as I hold onto that desire I'll continue to get over other fears and eventually will do amazing things in my lifetime because I have a strong willingness to succeed at any thing I choose.

3. People you just met can have better intentions toward you than people you have known your whole life.

It seems that a lot of people get bogged down in life by people they know because those people have strong opinions about them. They know their weaknesses, their strengths, their bad habits and they use that knowledge to form opinions about you and then decide how you will fair in new ventures. This can be extremely discouraging to those individuals who are creative and have good ideas/intentions. It makes them start to wonder if the people who know them best are right, and sometimes it discourages people so much they give up an idea they were really excited about. Throughout my travels and social media platforms for my business I have met 4 amazing individuals.

Matt Parrish-Based in: United States, Entrepreneur, Fortex/Crypto trader.

Tommy Morris-Based in: Scotland, United Kingdom, Filmmaker/photography

Duane Robinson-Based in: Namibia/New Zealand, Entrepreneur, traveler

Jess and Tim-Based in: London, United Kingdom, travel bloggers

These individuals, while I have not known them long, and some I literally just met, support my work. They challenge me to dream bigger and I try to give as much as I get from them. None of them know my biggest flaws, they just see a girl with a dream and they support me. In return I support them. I hope that while my time is ending in the United Kingdom I continue to communicate with them and help them in anyway I can because I see a special quality in each of them, and I know they will continue to grow and prosper wherever life takes them because they have set goals for themselves and do what they have to to achieve them.

Find them on Instagram: @matt_parrish12, @tmo87, @travelbeedz, @fourthousandweeks