I've always known that one day I would travel the world, study abroad just happens to be the first real opportunity to truly experience the world. Australia has been at the top of my "places to go list" since I can remember. In my mind it is a beautiful and exotic place that is teeming with adventure. However, when I went to the study abroad presentation the speaker almost has me convinced to go the Vienna, Austria.
When I called my mom after the presentation on Thursday she was shocked that it took only one hour to change my mind about a decision I had made many years ago, as I am a very stubborn person. But I had a good reason, if my dream is to seize the opportunity to travel the world through study abroad, why would I want to go somewhere that I would be confined to the whole semester? Sure Australia has many different things to offer, but in Vienna I could travel across Europe knocking several different places off my list of places to go in one semester.
While abroad I plan to get the full experience, and the fact that I have a whole semester to experience Vienna and its surrounding countries makes that possible. I would get to do all of the typical touristy things while also experience some of the cultural aspects that could not be experience with a shorter visit. Some people go abroad with the hope of learning a new language or making new friends. Though those are both great reasons to go abroad I would like to go to help develop myself as an individual. As I believe I have mentioned previously, the most important things in life are the experiences that help propel you to be a better person. The opportunity to study abroad and immerse ones self in a completely foreign environment is a great way to better oneself.
Although I have all these wonderful plans to study abroad and see the world I can not say that I am very well prepared to do so. I have yet to set up an appointment or get further information about studying abroad, I don't even know when I want to yet! It is easy to tell that I am still in a Freshman state of mind, believing that everything is so far in the further when in reality everything is right on the horizon. With all that said it is my goal to have spoken with someone or at least attended a study abroad information session by the end of January.
