7 Lessons in Studying Abroad

1. Even if you’re spending the majority of your time in classrooms, the most important lessons you learn are about yourself. Sometimes, you have to go 5,000 miles away from home to truly understand who you are. I learned so many things here about why I do what I do, what I want out of life, and what I expect of myself. No matter what happens in the rest of my life, these are lessons that I can hold onto forever.

2. No matter where you are from, all people have certain things in common. So many American TV shows paint Russians as the bad guys, the Soviet spies. Coming here, I’ve realized how America and Russia are truly cousins. They have so much in common, and if we focused on that instead of the differences, a lot could change in the world.

3. New experiences may be terrifying, but they are extremely good for you. I can’t stress this one enough. I never in my life thought I would end up spending a semester in Russia, of all places in the world. But this has truly been some of the best times in my life, and I will be forever grateful, no matter how intimidating a lot of this trip was.

4. It’s okay to make a study abroad trip what YOU want it to be. Everyone likes experiencing places in different ways. I ended up spending a lot of my time in this trip in coffee shops or in my window sill reading Russian plays and literature. That’s how I liked to explore this country. Everyone’s experience is extremely different, but that certainly doesn’t make yours wrong.

5. It’s very important to take care of yourself first. How are you going to enjoy your time in another place if you’re constantly exhausted and sick? Listen to your body first, and then go exploring. Winter is BRUTAL in Russia. We had to be careful not to get sick. Always make sure you’re giving your body what it needs.

6. Enjoy every moment while it lasts. The little things are probably going to be what I remember most about this trip. You never know what moments are going to be the most precious to you, so it’s super important to be present for all of them.

7. Don’t miss it until it’s over! We had a professor tell us this on one of our last few days with him. He said he never understands why people spend their last bit of time together crying about how they’re going to miss each other, because then they don’t really get to have that time together either. The last week of studying abroad is rough, because you start seeing a lot of “lasts” all around you. Don’t focus on those. Focus on still being there.