A moment that really stuck with me happened in Venice while I was traveling with some friends from my program. We got to talking with a local guy who was born and raised there. I figured it would be a quick hello, but he ended up telling us his whole life story. He had been working basically nonstop for years to provide for his family, and he never got the chance to get an education. We all got pretty quiet. We were a bunch of students studying in London and hopping around Europe on weekends, and it hit us how lucky we are. Before we left, he told us to be grateful for every experience and not to take this time for granted.

It stuck with me because I had gotten kind of used to this whole experience. Studying abroad started to feel normal, and I wasn’t stopping to think about how many people never get a chance like this. Since then I’ve tried to be more thankful for what I have, especially my education. I also learned to stop wishing time would hurry up so I could get to the next thing. I’d rather be where I am.

Being abroad has put me around people from all kinds of backgrounds, like other students in the program, professors, and locals. The main way I’ve handled it is by listening first and respecting where people are coming from. In group work and class discussions, people don’t always communicate or work the same way. Instead of assuming my way was the right one, I tried to ask questions and stay open.

Professors here also teach differently than I’m used to, so I had to change how I speak up in class and how I manage my work. It was a little frustrating at first, but it got easier once I stopped comparing it to home and just adjusted.

All of this has changed how I see myself and the world more than I expected. Being around so many different perspectives made me realize how many things about my own culture I never questioned. I’ve thought a lot about how I was raised and how the people at my home school have shaped me, from how I think about work to what I assume is normal. Looking at it from a distance made me appreciate those things more, but it also showed me there are plenty of good ways to live.

The biggest thing I’ve learned about myself is that I grow the most when I’m uncomfortable and willing to listen. I’m more patient and more open-minded than when I got here, and I’m more aware of how fortunate I am.