Learning to Grow – Fall 21

There are many beautiful and formative things one can experience while on study abroad. Perhaps the most obvious is to be able to do and see things I never did before. Being in Leipzig during the fall is certainly an experience that I will never forget. As a history major, being a nation full of a deep and complex history was invaluable. On our free travel days, I hiked on the cliffs in Ireland, visited a Templar castle in Portugal, walked through magical German Christmas markets, and walked through a misty morning in Prague. I hiked in the Black Forest and saw the rejuvenation of once-destroyed Dresden. I set eyes upon my favorite paintings and prayed in centuries-old churches growing in my faith. While these are all things I have dreamed of being able to do for years, these are not the most important things I experienced while on study abroad.

I was able to experience important lessons in personal growth in Europe. While in Leipzig I learned to appreciate the smaller things in life. A walk to German class is much more magical when you realize you are seeing fall colors like never before in a city older than the USA. Small moments in a park seeing people laugh and rest on a hard day. I learned how many Germans took for granted the beauty and wonder of where they lived that would enrapture me and others. Many of us might never be able to live in an ancient cultural hearth, but no matter where we are we can find beauty. I do not want to leave the wonder I felt in Europe there. Rather, I want to remember that the mundane things we all take for granted can have meaning and significance if we only look at them with the right eyes. 

Another aspect I grew personally in was the acceptance of difficulty and hardship in new ways. When traveling in a foreign nation where you do not speak the language, things often do not go the way you want them to. But I learned to not let it ruin my enjoyment of life. For one, I was not able to see everything I wanted to. But this should not a downside, for in exchange I had experiences that when I went to it with an open mind I found myself enjoying it way more than ever expected. I also learned to take setbacks in stride. When delayed trains caused me and a friend to have to wait for two hours in a small Portuguese town, I just sat down on a bench and gave myself much-needed rest. Things can be hard and plans go awry. But if I let myself slow down, learn to forgive myself, and accept what is given to me, I can handle whatever issues come my way. 

Study abroad is an experience I will never forget. I saw places some will never see in their lives and for that I am grateful. I have grown as a person in my ability to appreciate life and face challenges.  Seeing places I had read and written about in my history classes was highly impactful. Things that used to cause anxiety to me seem much smaller now. If I can food in German when I can barely speak the language, figure out the public transport system of various nations, and develop new skills, I can do much more than I could before I left America. Study abroad has changed me for the better and I will take these lessons and memories with me for the rest of my life.

The Berlin Weihnachtsmarkt