Inspired by Prague- Off the beaten path

Margaret Haley Start Date: Feb 10, 2018 - End Date: Jun 9, 2018
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Professional Development
  • Study/Degree Abroad
  • Prague, Czechia

My Travel Story

by: Margaret Haley Start Date: Feb 10, 2018 - End Date: Jun 9, 2018
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Professional Development
  • Study/Degree Abroad
Though I had no clue where I wanted to go to college or what I wanted to do for a career, I’ve known since I was seven years old that I wanted to study abroad. There is just something that has always fascinated me about jumping into a situation that is completely new and different. Where everything I thought I knew from my suburban neighborhood in Maryland would be tested and everything I saw, heard and experienced was fresh and even terrifying. In high school I lived this the best way I could. I was the first of my friends to get a job, my driver’s license and went the farthest away, to South Carolina, for school. Even with these learning curves it has been so easy to become comfortable in my environment. Because of this, studying abroad will impact my future by pushing me out of my comfort zones, challenging my world view, and giving me a greater understanding of the people around me.

Often it is easy to become comfortable in life because there is nothing motivating me to try new things. My current routines, after all, are where I feel safe and secure. I know what to expect out of each day and can keep the anxiety of the negative things on the low. Despite this, I function best when I am challenging myself to be and do better and when there is an optimal level of stress just outside of my comfort zone. Pushing myself forces me to complete goals and learn about anything and everything my new environment has to offer, in order to adapt. Any obstacles that I encounter give me the skills to avoid worry in the future. Additionally, I am completely inspired by all the new senses around me. Because of this, studying abroad will impact me by forcing me out of my comfort zone and making me a more productive, flexible and creative person.

Living in another country will also challenge my world view. Though I try to educate myself about many things, almost everything I have learned up until this point has been screened through a very limited filter. I have always been a citizen of the United states, have always lived in middle class areas and have always had many opportunities in life. Though I am very blessed to have all of these things, it means that my understanding of life is very specific to what I have experienced. Being abroad will challenge the way I think. The filter that I have used to screen my life for 20 years may not be as applicable in my new surroundings and will cause me to be a little more understanding of the world in general.

Finally, studying abroad will give me a much greater insight into the people around me. I do not yet know what I specifically want to do for a career, however I do know that I want to work with people as either a doctor or some kind of therapist. I have always been very empathetic and outgoing and my brain has always functioned by trying to figure out how others minds’ worked too. Though I have always been a people person, I can in no way claim to understand the struggles of everyone around me. Again, because my experience is limited I cannot fully comprehend what others go through. Studying abroad will help me to understand more about different types of people because I will get the opportunity to communicate and learn from them first hand.

Overall, studying abroad is an opportunity that I have during my four years at college, that cannot be passed up. It will impact me in immeasurable ways that will stay with me through my entire future. Not only will I get to travel in a new location, but I will be pushed out of my comfort zone, forced to see the world in a different way and will gain a greater perception of the people around me. Today I still do not know for sure what I want to be for a career, but I do believe studying abroad will help me realize who I want to be as a person; someone who refuses to stop learning and refuses to remain comfortable
  • Prague, Czechia

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