“You went to Germany by yourself for a week? Why would you
do that?”
“You must have been so brave to travel by yourself.”
These are some responses I receive when I tell people what I
did last year for spring break. It’s weird because looking back, I don’t feel
like my choice to travel alone was particularly radical or brave, but I do
think it was one of the most important things I did while I was abroad.
There were many amazing things about studying abroad in
Paris, but one of the best parts was getting two weeks off for spring break. My mom
was going to be there for part of it, so I was already planning to visit
Barcelona. I had also made plans to meet my friend in Greece. But in between these
two trips, I had a whole week free to travel. The rest of my friends in Paris
were going to places I had already been in Europe and I was itching to go somewhere
new. There was no way I was going to spend that week sitting in my room. So, I
decided to grab a train ticket for Munich, rent an apartment for the week, and sign up for some day trips while
I was there.
I’m a pretty independent person. I’d traveled to Edinburgh
by myself, so this wasn’t my first foray, just my longest. I have a good sense
of direction and basic common sense, so I wasn’t afraid of anything going
wrong. But I did have one small hesitation. I’m an extrovert. I like talking,
being around people. So I was worried that travelling alone would be really
lonely. I couldn’t imagine going a week without talking to other people. I
prayed about this before I left, asking God to keep me safe, happy, and never
alone.
I was blessed in my travels in that loneliness never came to
fruition. My trip began with a six-hour train ride. About half way through the
train journey, we realized everyone in my compartment spoke English- an Italian
woman, a Chinese girl, and another American. Once we started talking, we
couldn’t stop and spent hours chatting on our way to Munich. Even better, the
American guy lived near the apartment I rented and was able to give me a crash
course in the Munich public transportation system. I felt relief that night
when I got to my apartment (which was actually the coolest apartment in the
world) that my trip had already been less lonely than I had expected.
This continued for the rest of the week. The next morning,
on a walking tour of the city, I met a group of girls who were studying abroad
in London and invited me to tag along with them to the Spring Festival in
Munich. The next day, on a day trip to the Neuschwanstien Castle, I made
friends with two American girls studying abroad in Paris. It’s always amazing
to make new friends especially when it means you have someone to take pictures
of you with a fairy tale castle. Later that week, when visiting Saltzburg,
Austria, I made friends with an Australian guy and a girl from New York. We
spent the rainy afternoon recreating scenes from the Sound of Music and
adventuring in a fortress at the top of a mountain.
Each day of my trip, I encountered new people, new stories,
and new worlds. Each person shared with me stories of their travels, their
hometowns, and their unique perspective of the world. In turn, I realized how
when travelling on your own the social barriers that exist in our own lives
stop existing. So often in America, when I meet new people, I am constantly
sizing myself up and assessing them. When travelling though, I felt like I met
others with my eyes wide open. I had no context in which to judge them, so I
was free to listen and share with them without jadedness. I began to feel as if
I was part of something bigger than myself, a community of people linked
together through nothing more than humanity.
I also love how travelling alone let me be independent. I
could stay up late watching Netflix or go to bed super early if I was
exhausted. I could eat ice cream for dinner if I wanted (and I did). I didn’t to
worry about upsetting anyone else’s plans. It was during this trip that I
started writing a story that eventually became a novel of over 100,000 words.
This trip let me be myself as much as possible.
Notre Dame is a wonderful place and I love every minute being
here. But our campus is a bubble. We see the same people and the same places.
While study abroad is a chance to escape the bubble, many people spend their
time abroad traveling only with the same Notre Dame students. I don’t want to
make those experiences sound invaluable. I took many trips with ND students and
I treasure the way those trips helped me grow closer to my friends and create
new memories with them. But study abroad is also an opportunity to exchange
cultures, to take risks, to get to know yourself better, to get to know your
world, which can only really happen when you let the bubble burst.
Many of my junior friends, including my friend and fellow
blogger Katie Arndorfer, have embarked on the beginning of their semesters
abroad. Studying abroad is one of the most life changing opportunities I’ve had
Notre Dame. It wasn’t always easy, but it was always rewarding. But the true
rewards came when I challenged myself to strike out on my own path and travel
on my own. This is the same challenge I am posing to my friends who are
starting their study abroad adventures. See where your travels take you and whose
paths you might cross. When you take the risk, trust God, and travel on your
own.
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