I can confidently say that I believe my study-abroad experience changed the future of my life. Before going abroad, it seemed almost impossible and scary to potentially work abroad in another country, something that I pondered a lot throughout high school and college thus far. After this trip, it made me realize just how many possibilities we have in life and our careers. There are so many opportunities out there in the world for us, and it just takes us wanting them to make them happen.
This experience made me realize that I could very realistically see myself living in London in the United Kingdom or Paris in France. The culture in both of these cities is so amazing, and I was astounded by just how clean and lively they both were. Everywhere I looked I would see people walking down the street, lying on the grass, sitting at a café, etc. It was so incredibly refreshing to finally see people in a people-centric space. You didn’t need a car to go from your house to the café, you could hop on the “tube” or the subway and walk there. I loved this aspect of Europe, it seems very refreshing coming from someone who has lived in Houston their whole life, where you need a car to get anywhere.
Another thing that I didn’t realize until I was over there was the feasibility of traveling. It’s so easy for you to go from one country to another in Europe thanks to proximity and the EU. It was something that I found cool.
Lastly, one of the largest things I began to understand about Europe was the prioritization of other things before work. In American culture, work is so deeply ingrained in us, that it’s almost all we can think about most days. Vacation time, parental and maternity leave, benefits, and various other aspects of work in the United States are so subpar compared to many of our European counterparts, it’s truly sad. These things are all deeply prioritized and ingrained in their culture, and people are encouraged to take a lot of time off and spend it with their families, something that I believe is very important for our lives.
Overall, this study-abroad experience completely changed my perception of life and my future for the better. It was one of the best experiences in my entire life and I would highly recommend any student to participate in an experience like this.