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| (Prime Meridian) |
It’s my last week of classes! I know everyone back home is taking finals, but my finals are next week. Because the finals are the majority of my grade and I have all four, I’m only stressing out a little.
This week I want to briefly mention some of the best lessons I’ve learned while abroad. I can’t believe I have less than two weeks left! In reality, I’ve only been abroad for four months, but it seems like it’s been a lifetime. So, off the top of my head, here are the top five things I’ve learned while traveling and studying overseas.
- Everyone has a story worth hearing – Everywhere I’ve been I’ve met people with incredible stories. In hostels, I was surrounded by people old and young, and I was always wondering where they were from and where they were going next. I’m especially fascinated with how people travel and move to different countries, and pick up languages as they go. Of course, I didn’t always spend enough time with people to hear their stories, so most of what comes to mind are the tour drivers I chatted with, hearing about how they unknowingly drove a Jordanian prince or even Jay Leno.
- The world is very big, but also very small – It’s crazy how many times I’ve met people who somehow have a connection to my family or me in some way. It’s also crazy that I traveled all the way to England to become good friends with a girl from Kansas City. Even another girl from Canada and I found out that we were in the same Oktoberfest tent on the same night. Small world.
- Seize every opportunity…even if it’s an opportunity to relax – I’m exhausted from all the traveling I’ve done (woe is me, right?). My friend once told me that he was glad to be taken off his friend’s flight privileges because he didn’t have to feel guilty when he didn’t use a weekend to fly somewhere new and exciting. I understand now. I felt the need to optimize my time having proximity to places I’ve always wanted to go. But, perhaps, a weekend trip to a London spa would have been just as satisfying as a weekend trip to a new country.
- Fear of looking stupid should be ignored – I know a lot of people don’t travel because they are afraid they won’t be able to figure things out for themselves or look stupid trying. I have friends who only just now figured out how to buy a train ticket to London because they weren’t sure how to before. Even though I have done things to avoid looking stupid (e.g., I’ve walked extra miles to avoid taking a bus because I wasn’t sure how it worked), now I have no problem asking questions and asking for help. Life is too short to avoid unknowns and wait for someone to show us. I’m sure a lot of people in Europe have judged me for trying to put a metro ticket in the wrong way or waiting extra-long at a table because I didn’t know I had to ask for the check, but quite frankly it doesn’t affect me, and I don’t care.
- There’s a lot to gain from living and studying abroad – I think everyone should be given a chance to study abroad! I’ve learned a lot about psychology and British life, but I’ve also learned a lot about myself. There’s something to be said for knowing that you can live in a foreign country and figure it out for yourself. Also, I think it really opens your eyes to a new perspective and ways of life, but also gives you a new found appreciation for your home country. Professionally, it also helps you develop open-mindedness and understand the value of diversity.
If you ask me to make to make this list again next week, I would probably give you five different answers. But that just goes to show how valuable this experience was for me! I truly wish that everyone had the opportunity to study abroad.
Because I am rushing to finish my to-do list before I leave, I spent the weekend in London in museums. I went to the British Museum and saw the Rosetta Stone, which is one of the best things I’ve seen so far. I went to the Imperial War Museum and spent four hours wandering through the exhibits and still ran out of time. Lastly, I went to the Royal Observatory where I stood on the Prime Meridian! Very nerdy, but very satisfying weekend. See you next week for the last update in this blog!
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| (Prime Meridian) |
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| (Imperial War Museum) |
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| (Twinings Tea Shop) |
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| (British Museum) |
Cheers!
Brisa B.
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Industrial Engineering major Brisa Bartczak is spending the Fall 2018 term in England with our
U of A Exchange program at the University of Essex, Colchester with the help of our
Office of Study Abroad Scholarship and the
College of Engineering.
Read more from Brisa at
https://sites.uark.edu/bsbartcz/Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at
http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/
