To put it simply, studying abroad and traveling abroad are two very different experiences. Of course, you can sign up for fun summer trip where you can meet other similar age friends and travel all together, but I wanted something different. I wanted the experience as a student living abroad. No touristy trips can get me to live amongst the people from the land, and really be immersed into the environment and culture. I had to learn more than just being a tourist. These included knowing how to grocery shop locally, how to buy medications in a pharmacy, knowing all the buses and subways in the city, and finding a way to get into local events to enjoy my free evenings like a local would. These are all the experiences that no touristy travelers would ever encounter, and these are truly the gems that made the entire experience golden.
Studying abroad and traveling abroad are two very different experiences. I wanted the experience of a student living abroad so I could live among the people and be immersed in the environment and culture. I wanted more than just the tourist experience, like grocery shopping, buying medicine at the pharmacy, and finding my way to events in my free evenings as a local would. These were the experiences that made the entire summer golden.