Study Abroad - What I learned

 I always thought that studying in another country would be interesting, that I would have a lot of fun and that I would get to learn a lot and meet new people. I wasn't wrong, but it wasn't just like that. You see, the biggest differences between my expectations and what really happened were:

- It wasn't JUST interesting, it felt like living in a movie where there is no plot, meaning you stay on the beginning where "everything is happiness", and then you get back to your home and back to real life.

- I did have lots of fun, but it wasn't the normal type of fun I have in my country, it felt different. Abroad I actually did Laughed Out Loud, I smiled ALL the time, and I swear I even was funnier! Or maybe it was just the idea of knowing you are in a country where no one knows you and they don't judge you, or if they do it's OK, because you go back home and everything will be just memories.

- I learned a lot about Marketing in my classes, of course, but it didn't stop there. Being able to have friends from America, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia, China, well... From all around the world, gives you a completely new pair of eyes, with which you start to actually see the world and the people as human beings and not by the tags we are used to give them. Now I don't see Asians, Black people, Middle Eastern people, Latino, American, blonde, brunette, native american, tall, fat, men, women.... NO, I just see people, their physical appearance is irrelevant now. I have friends from all around the world, and I love them all. I learned that racism is not only stupid, it's wanting to stay ignorant.

- I met some people not even realizing they stole an instantaneous place in my heart. Some people are so unique that they just have to say "hi, my name is _____" and then you know they will never ever leave your heart, not even if you were to try, which I would never do, it would be silly to try to let go of someone who is a bigger part of you than you'll ever realize.

- Of course nothing can be perfect, it just can't, there has to be a balance always. Sometimes it's getting a bad grade, some others is liking someone who sees you only as a friend. For me, I lost a friend so fast that even today I'm still asking myself what happened? I never understood why someone I considered a good friend would stop talking to me from exactly one day to another. Sometimes rumors can be the reason, this might but the case, but I guess I'll never know. You just can't get everything in your life to be perfect, but you can always chose to learn from the bad moments and enjoy the good ones.

I did learn tons of other things, but most are too personal and too long to write here. Everyone had different experiences, but they always bring you something good, new experiences, stories to share later, and memories, which are what help you to keep going. So if you want to do something in your life you'll never regret, travel and make new friends there, because even if it just lasts 3 months, you'll always have a reason to smile, because all you'll have to do is remember.