It feels like just yesterday when I was hugging my mom goodbye at the airport in Boston and getting ready to to step on the plane to Chile. I remember how nervous I felt when I was flying here. Would I be able to learn how to take the public bus? Would I make new friends? Would my Spanish get better? Would I be too homesick? Looking back, I realize that I never needed to be nervous about so many of the things that worried me before I left. Now I find myself hopping on the bus to go get some groceries down the street and speaking to local people without a second thought. I have grown and learned so much!
Traveling abroad has also shown me how big the world is that we live in. I had never visited another country and had only been to local places near my town in the United States before coming here. When I arrived in Chile, I began to realize that there are so many new places and people living lives in other parts of the world. I had never really thought much about it, but it felt amazing to be thousands of miles away in an entirely new community and culture.
Throughout this experience, I have learned to take more chances. There are so many journeys yet to be had and lessons yet to be learned. I know that when I come back home to the United States, my journeys will not be over.
