by Lauren Harvison| Spring 2024 |
The day before I left to study abroad, I was pondering a simple question. Mark, the study abroad director, postulated that everyone says that studying abroad is the best semester of their lives, but why? He asked us bright-eyed and eager students to come up with possible answers to why this semester would be the best chapter of our college experience. I sat there in my seat, a little stumped. Sure, I could come up with some basic answers: traveling, trying new things, meeting new people, but at the time, I had no idea what that meant. It was simply just a passing comment I had heard that studying abroad would be “the best semester of my life.”
Upon arriving in Oxford, this question continued to sit in the back of my mind. I walked into Oxford, ready to go and explore. I came open-handed and minded with no real destination in place, but ready to see where Oxford would take me. This excitement waxed and waned every time I had to place an order in a coffee shop where I was keenly aware of how my American accent made me stand out as a “foreigner.” But I eventually learned to say “take away” instead of “to go” when ordering a coffee and not to ask for any syrups. These things, while seemingly small, made everyday life feel a little richer and special. The reward of navigating a new town, trying something different, and being confident to graciously and humbly make mistakes felt much greater than any new skill I learned or class I took. Suddenly, the tests that really mattered were how well I dealt with people and life’s unexpected situations, making my new home and my experiences the greatest classroom.
Studying abroad is the best semester of your life for all the reasons I could come up with before, but I would like to add another reason. Perhaps the greatest moments of our lives are when we are focused on living. During your time abroad, you are constantly surrounded by new people and places. To adapt to a foreign place, you must be present where you are. It becomes essential to be mindful of yourself and others. Giving people and places your full attention and being sensitive to what is “new” or “different” has its own sweet rewards. It opens up the doorway to greater levels of appreciation for life and little unexpected discoveries that make life richer. The best moments in one’s life cannot be measured with a grade, a ruler, or a measuring cup. Instead, it is measured by the lessons learned about life and yourself that enable you to embrace and love the people and place you are in.
