This past semester, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Oxford, England, and that was the best decision of my life. I got to live in England, but I also got to travel to so many places. I went to Bath, England, where Jane Austen lived for a few years. I got to tour Edinburgh, and see the Highlands of Scotland. I got to hike in the Lake District where William Wordsworth drew inspiration. I got to travel to Greece and walk where Paul walked so many years ago. I got to see beauty in the simplicity of Venice and stand in awe of the architecture of Rome. I got to see the Netherlands where my mom lived for a few years when she was a child, and I got to understand why so many people write songs about Galway, Ireland. While the places that I traveled to were amazing, the lessons that I had to learn have so much more to do with who I was to become.
I feel like there are no adequate words to describe what I have felt and experienced this semester, but I’m going to try to find some. To preface, I think that everyone should study abroad, or at least travel out of their comfort zone if they have a chance. This semester has by no means been easy, but it was so worth it. I fell in love this semester. I fell in love with myself, with life, with the world, and with the people surrounding me. Living in close quarters with eleven other students and our professors was not always easy, but we always found ways to continue growing together. When we were struggling, we had people surrounding us. When we were happy, we had people there to celebrate with us. These relationships that we built and strengthened over fifteen weeks will last us for our lifetime. The experiences of this semester are the memories that I’m going to tell for the rest of my life.
I saw God everywhere I went. I saw God in his beautiful creations, but I also saw God in other people. I saw Him in the caring eyes of my classmates, and I saw Him in the actions of the volunteers at the Gatehouse, the homeless outreach program I volunteered at in Oxford. I saw God in the views from the tops of the mountains I climbed, and I saw Him in the subtle waves in the bluest oceans I’d ever seen. I saw God in the kindness and acceptance of our local friends, who truly made the experience for me. I saw God in the kindness of strangers and I saw God in the raw and real relationships I made. I saw God this semester.
I think one of the biggest lessons I learned this semester was that it is okay to not be okay. It’s okay to cry at both the good things and the bad things. It’s okay to love, even if there’s a chance your heart might be broken. It’s okay to live life for you, and not to please other people. It’s okay to put yourself first—it is your life, after all.
One of the biggest themes that I tried to follow throughout this semester is the idea of being fearless. Too often, we allow fear to control us and our actions. We fear being hurt, so we don’t love. We fear rejection, so we don’t pursue our passions. We fear disappointing others, so we give up our own dreams. We fear change, so we stay stagnant and never grow. We fear hurting others, so we don’t speak our minds. That’s not how life should be lived. We should be fearless. Life is going to happen regardless, and we get to learn how to navigate everything—the good and the bad. So you might as well do what you love.
There is beauty in everything and everyone—God created it all. Even the not-so-fun parts of life have a sort of beauty to them. The trials that we are put through encourage our growth. The bad days that we have to help us to appreciate the good ones even more. When we miss people or places, we are reminded of how blessed we are to have someone or something to miss.
It’s funny looking back at pictures of myself from before August compared to pictures from me traveling. To me, I look completely different. I feel completely different, that’s for sure. I feel like I can conquer the world, partly because in a way, I already have. I felt true emotions this semester. True happiness, true sadness, true amazement, true grief, and true joy. Most importantly, I felt true love. I will forever be thankful for this semester and the lessons that it taught me as well as the relationships that it brought me.
God truly is great.
