I am so grateful to have had this experience abroad. It has made me appreciate the diversity of the world, as well as appreciate a lot of things about home that I had always taken for granted. I now fully appreciate free bathrooms, free water and refills, my car, etc. I especially missed the Midwestern friendliness. I think almost everyone who came on this trip experienced someone being rude to them. One girl was yelled at for speaking English; someone made fun of the way I talked, etc. Now most people aren’t that rude here, they’re actually very nice. However, there just is not that culture of being friendly to strangers in the Czech Republic. However, I have found that it varies from country to country, just as it does from state to state. For example, the Czech Republic is not that friendly, but the people in Ireland were extremely friendly and welcoming.

                Things can vary so much travelling from country to country. You can travel a few hours to another country and experience something totally different than the last country. There are many different languages, currencies, cultures, foods, etc. On one hand, that is really good. You can experience a lot of different cultures without having to travel too far. I love that I have been able to go on weekend trips to somewhere totally different. On the other hand, you travel a few hours in one direction and the language and/or currency that you are used to using is now totally useless.  In the United States, you can travel for weeks all over the country and use the same language and currency, no matter how far you go (within reason).

I also learned how independent I can be. I had never really travelled alone before. Now I am able to plan and book my own trips. I flew all the way to Prague from Omaha on my own, and I travelled to Greece for a few days by myself. Travelling alone had always seemed scary to me, but now I know that I can handle it. I definitely missed my family and friends, and would have loved it if they were here with me, but I think travelling alone in another country is an experience I needed to have. I proved to myself that I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself and figuring out things as I go along. I have always been someone who likes having a plan and sticking to it, but I have had to learn to roll with the punches. Not everything goes to plan, and not everything can be planned for ahead of time. I have had to learn to be flexible and take some chances. I have met many new people and made new friends. I am happy that I was able to do this before I graduate from UNK and move on to the next chapter of my life. I feel like travelling abroad is an experience everyone should have in their life, and I was lucky enough to be able to have that experience before even leaving college.

Venice, Italy

Big Ben in London

Cliffs of Moher in Ireland

Standing in the Mediterranean Sea on the island of Crete in Greece