While studying abroad in Strasbourg for four weeks I have learned numerus things about myself that, one, I didn’t know, and two, things that I did know but to a certain extent. Through all of the various things I did learn, the most important thing is my voice. I have thought most of my life that I am shy and scared of confrontation. While this is true in some circumstances like in class, and with brand new people, when confronting people and being curious in new situations, I learned that I am brave and eager to engage in those situations headfirst. Even though in certain situations it was hard to keep my cool and try to be nice, I maintained my composure and kept patience while trying to learn. Patience being a big part of this lesson is something that I believe I didn’t have much of going in and I definitely am coming out of this experience with more than I had. Working hand in hand my voice and patience guided me through this experience and helped me try new things and learn new things. There were many situations where I found out these traits, and although there isn’t one exact moment where I noticed, the multiple ones where I did notice were the multiple interactions at restaurants and stores where I had to have the courage to ask about different items or try my hardest to put the workers in a place where they could understand me. In the end, coming into the study abroad program I was very scared and nervous and coming out I have gained a whole new view of the world and on what I am capable of accomplishing. My time in Europe was one of the best experiences and I would not regret any part of the time or the things I have gained from it.
