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the love, respect and concern that you deserve.
3. Silence and alone time is sometimes
needed.
It doesn't mean there is a lack of friends, loved
ones or excitement. It instead opens up time
to gather thoughts from the day and have a
clear mind of what is happening in life. My first
study abroad program allowed me to travel to 5
countries and 15 cities in Europe. It is absolutely
impossible to digest all of the traveling, sights,
monuments, people, food, music etc without
taking time to just sit in silence, in the now. No
cell phone, computer, nothing. Those times have
been great for me to just reflect, pray and be in
the present. My core development happened
when I intentionally spent time with the Creator;
not thinking about what I need to do next or
what I have done, but being thankful for the
present.
4. Speak your mind.
Every time this has happened I learn more about
myself, what I stand for and my life's experiences.
There is a tremendous amount of growth that
happens when speaking ones mind. My parents
spoke those words to me countless times grow-
ing up, and I have discovered it's importance now,
more than ever. Traveling abroad is a great way to
validate that your voice matters even though you
are only 1 out of over 7 billion people on earth.
5. Do not be afraid to talk about uncom-
fortable things.
I have found that Americans are more inclined
to always wanting to be politically correct when
talking about subjects that people disagree
on. Most of my in depth conversations have
been with people outside of America who are
not afraid of getting into a 3 hour conversation
about communism, or who will invite you to
coffee where the center topic is abortion. Even a
conversation on why the sky is blue has happened
while studying abroad between peers. The
great thing is that everyone has their own mind.
Instead of resorting to surface level talk about
Beyonce's IG following, I have found much more
value in speaking about how she may or may not
be a feminist.
6. Work on the relationships in life that
matter.
The most important relationships in life are not
always the romantic ones. God has truly blessed
me with some awesome people in my life. In a
physical sense I have seen that from the people
who have made an effort to see how I was doing
abroad by proactively ensuing a Skype call,
sending me care packages in the mail, and all
other types of love. No one was created to be in a
silo, so embrace, uplift and love those who mean
the world to you. These relationships are so full of
love, and they truly matter.
7. Put God in everything you do and the
rest follows.
There's a scripture that says to do everything as
unto the Lord (Col. 3:23). Well, it was exactly on
the mark! Traveling abroad allows you to trust
God the more because there are so many oppor-
tunities to be stretched beyond your comfort
zone. Everyday being able to get closer to God
is a blessing and I have started to realize that the
little things in life that used to make me tremble
no longer do. Whether it's a test, a trip, or trying
something for the first time, He will always have
your back.
My hope is that this list encourages you to study
abroad and become the person you have always
wanted to become. Who makes lists of revela-
tions on their own terms, and in their own words.
So, what are you waiting for? Take the leap.
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