Study abroad taught me how to live for the moment and not for the future. It’s important to plan and save up, but at some point, it can get in the way of enjoying life. This spring was like taking a huge breath after years of running. It was a semester without working or overly stressing about intense classes. I got to focus on having fun and seeing more of the world. I’d always wanted to travel but never had the chance.
Before this spring I’d only been outside of the U.S. once, and only a couple of other states within the U.S. It was crazy to see places and things that were completely foreign to me. I’d seen other places in movies and pictures, but I don’t think I fully comprehended their existence until I saw them for myself. One huge shock was the climate differences. I experienced some of the coldest temperatures of my life in Iceland. I had bought new thermal wear and everything, but the wind still whacked away at my red ears and cheeks. We were pretty miserable outside, but it was worth it because the cold created a whole new environment. I’m used to mainly seeing greens and browns, but here everything was pure white. There were permanent layers of ice, with fresh snow falling daily! I think I’ve only seen real snow about four times in Texas, and none of those times came even close to the snow in Iceland. The snow came in huge clumps and decorated the buildings around us. It also made it possible for us to enjoy a frozen lake in the center of town, on which we ran and skated. My friends and I also got to experience the Blue Lagoon, which is a hundred-degree sulfur spa. It was ironic that the warmest we got that spring was in the coldest place we went. We got to enjoy the warm lagoon as we gazed upon snow-covered mountains.
Another city that really surprised me was Venice, the city of water. It was different than any other place I’d visited, especially since I’m used to going between stage two and three droughts back home. There were bridges and rivers everywhere we went and we got lost whenever we tried to google maps our way around. The city was like a maze with tiny, walled-in walkways. If we didn’t hit a dead end we hit we’d hit a river, and there was no getting through either of those. Then we’d have to backtrack and find our way through trial and error. It helped us pass the time and see a lot of the city though. Even if we were getting a little frustrated, watching the streaming water or iconic gondolas would cheer us up. I couldn’t believe that people actually lived there! I’ve only been on a boat once in my life, and locals use a water taxi a couple of times a day. Venice and Iceland were two places that amazed and perplexed me because of how different the environment was from what I’m used to. I’m really glad I had these experiences because they helped me expand my perspective of the world. It was every penny to see the other types of beauty Earth has created.
