I moved to Scotland and was wholly unprepared. I didn’t become a new person. I didn’t learn to breathe underwater. But I learned new ways to talk about my life, new ways to view time passing and the people that pass along with it. I learned how to call a place home and to say goodbye. I took pictures of my good days and wrote in my journal about the not-so-good ones. Studying abroad was not the story I thought I would tell. For me, there was no jetting off to other countries, or falling into a whirlwind romance. I walked and walked, holding the country in my hands. I went on adventures with new friends, and I learned how to say yes to the unexpected. Most of all, I learned how to be okay with the temporary, to embrace the fleeting moments.
I moved to Scotland wholly unprepared. I didn't become a new person, but I learned new ways to view time passing. I learned how to call a place home and say goodbye. Studying abroad was not the story I thought I would tell - there was no jetting off to other countries or falling into a whirlwind romance. I walked and walked and learned how to say yes to the unexpected. I learned to be okay with the temporary and to embrace the fleeting moments.