Update: Three Months In

I’ve been here at App State for three months now; only two months left, unfortunately so. Since moving here for my semester abroad, I originally arrived with an open mind, no expectations and no pre-planned ideas of how I wanted my time here to play out. I can safely say that this has been everything and more than I could’ve possibly imagined it to be. In all honesty, I don't want to come home. Of course, I miss my friends and family but I have also made friends here and surprisingly met a guy, all of whom I am going to miss when I do return home.

The months I have left here are slowly slipping away and my mood has been impacted by this recently. If you do decide to study abroad, although it most likely will be an amazing and incredible time away for you, just prepare yourself for the crash at the end where reality hits you in the face, and you’re left with the realization that you can’t stay forever. Sorry to sound slightly dramatic, blunt and pessimistic, but it’s true.

Of course, this won’t be the end of the world. It sucks and isn’t ideal but I am positive that the friends I have made here are ones that I will stay in touch with them for many years to come!

It's Normal To Not Miss Home

Since moving to the US as a part of study abroad, how I originally thought I would feel emotionally prior to leaving is not how I’ve found myself to be feeling. I originally thought that I would be missing home and all of my friends and family of whom I had left behind for this set time period, however as bad as it may sound, I haven’t missed home nor the life I had there. If were being honest, I feel as though I am living two completely different lives. Now, I’m not sure if it’s because of the cultural differences or just the new group of people I have immersed myself with, but I have found myself to have grown in confidence, become happier than I thought I originally could be, as well as going out of my comfort zone.

I’m not saying that when you start your adventure when studying abroad that you’re going to be the same as me; I am saying that if you find yourself like me and aren’t missing home or the life you left behind, then just know that it’s normal and you’re not the only one.

SPRING BREAK!!

The time had FINALLY come! It was spring break and this meant one thing; Florida here we come!

This was by far the most amazingly, unforgettable week I’ve ever had! Myself and five friends decided to head down to Florida for spring break. The first three days were spent in Orlando, where we went to Disney World and Universal Studios, the las four days we spent in Miami on the infamous South Beach!

Disney and Universal Studios honestly made me feel like I was a kid again. Both days were spent trying to go on as many rides as possible, not to mention at Disney, of course wearing Mini Mouse ears the whole day.

Arriving in Miami felt like a dream. The sun was shining, the heat was amazing and on every corner was a palm tree. The next four days were spent soaking up the sun, enjoying being by the ocean and exploring the beautiful city. We decided to do the city tour, boat tour of the mansions and famous houses as well as the Everglades where we got to see some large and small alligators. 

Road Trip To Charlotte

One weekend, myself and five of my dear new friends decided to head to Charlotte, a two-hour drive from Boone, to visit my friends’ hometown. This was by far one of the best weekend trips I’ve been on, primarily because of the people I was able to share this experience with.

 

Once we arrived, we dropped our stuff off at my friend’s house and we were straight out again. We went and grabbed dinner, the largest slice of pizza I have ever seen, after this we just started to explore the beautiful city that is Charlotte. 

The next day was a shopping day. In Boone there are very limited shops, and most of these are grocery stores, so being in a city and heading to a mall was an absolute treat. It’s safe to say that the boys didn't appreciate this quite as much as the girls did. In the evening we visited an art museum called Mint, this was insane! Then before we knew it, it was time to come back to Boone and back to reality.