Students thinking about studying abroad. Consider something that isn’t Europe or where you would normally first think of when you consider going away. Europe was first on my list of places when I applied to go on my exchange and I was accepted to a European school, but it just wasn’t possible to do. That didn’t mean I couldn’t go. I changed my mindset and I ended up in Trinidad and Tobago. Since being here I have seen 4 Caribbean countries with flights booked for 3 more, along with 12 European countries. A total of 16 countries and counting! Sure travelling in Europe is easy (and yes it is cheap) but I have had a diverse experience in Trinidad and I have done things here that you can’t do in Europe. I wanted to put myself on my growing edge, hop out of my shell and develop as an individual. If i went somewhere similar to home, I felt that I would have felt at ease, and I wanted my exchange to challenge me. I didn’t want things to be impossible, but I wanted to have experiences that I had to work for. I’m halfway through my experience and I can certainly say that nothing has come without work. I’ve been pushed and challenged and I have had to grow as a person while away from home.
My experience has been enlightening. I’ve lived in a world where internet services work when they choose to, where everyday access to this isn’t something you wake up having all around you. There are people in this world who live in this society all the time. We’re just fortunate enough at home not to be those people. I’ve adjusted to a completely different school system, learned a different way of grading and completing assignments, and challenged myself to break my routine to do these things. I’ve gained the ability to look at different sides of life. When you live in one place your whole life you have blinders on and
you never really see what else is out there. At some point it’s important that everyone step out of their comfort zone and challenge them. In the 5 months I’ve been abroad so far that’s exactly what has happened to me.
– Meg Hanna
