Throughout my travels and time abroad, I have had to learn how to adapt to a variety of situations, and how to navigate situations I may not have been in before. Living in a foreign country comes with its own adjustments, but traveling on top of that brings its own new set of adjustments. Although these situations are new to me, figuring out how to adjust to them has been one of the most rewarding parts of studying abroad and one of the parts that has helped me grow the most as a person and a traveler.
Some soft skills that I have developed through this program are adaptability and better time management. I have become more adaptable through this experience because you are forced to go out of your comfort zone into a completely different culture, and find your own comfort within it. While in Florence, I have had to adapt the lifestyle I typically have while in school to a new living environment, new location, and new classes. While a challenge at first, I have been able to find my routine within these changes, and adapt to be successful. Additionally, while traveling you have to quickly learn to adapt. For example, while in Spain for spring break, we had missed a bus for a tour we had scheduled, and even though we could have let it ruin our day, we adapted and came up with a new plan for the day that ended up being one of the most fun days on the trip.
When it comes to time management, even though I like to think I came in with pretty good time management skills, this experience has forced me to budget my time even more and be smart about balancing even more than I typically do at home. While abroad, you are constantly balancing school, traveling, exploring your home city, socializing, and also just taking time for yourself, which at first seemed overwhelming, but being able to set a routine that allowed for both success in school, while also making the most of my experience abroad really helped. I feel as though I have become even better at planning my time and making sure I have time to accomplish all I need to do to be happy and successful throughout my time abroad.
As for hard skills, I have definitely become better at planning and navigating travel. Before this trip I had never really planned a trip without my parents, so having to actually book our own transportation and accommodations was something new to me. Throughout this trip I have definitely gained the skills of finding the best options for both that are both affordable and comfortable. I feel as though I know how to travel smarter and plan travel in a way that is best for me, and that isn’t necessarily a skill I needed to have before. Additionally, I feel as though my navigation skills have significantly improved. Whether it’s public transportation or getting around town, I am confident I could get anywhere I needed to go. These skills have made me a much more confident traveler, and will definitely come in handy as I travel throughout my life.
With international travel, comes cross cultural situations, which I really enjoy. It is so interesting to me to talk with locals and see their perspective on things and that has been a part of study abroad that has been one of my favorites. I think that it is so important to take advantage of being able to interact with people of other cultures, and even though sometimes it may feel comfortable to stick with the friends you traveled with, it is important to talk to everyone you can. I wouldn’t necessarily say these interactions impact my identity in that large of a way, besides learning how to be more respectful and courteous to others’ cultures, but I do think that some of the perspectives I have gained from interactions with locals will stick with me after study abroad.
Overall, I feel as though I have gained so much through this experience, and am sad that it is more than halfway over, as I feel I still have so much to see and learn and experience.