Is Ordinary Good Enough? Appreciating the Little Moments While Studying Abroad

As an introvert, I could feel myself already becoming overwhelmed by the amount of effort I was investing in putting myself out there, trying to make connections with people, and doing as much as I could with my time. By the end of the first week, I wasn’t sure how I was going to keep this up the entire semester.

When I couldn’t find a way to stop moving, life made the decision for me two weeks into my arrival. After testing positive for COVID-19, the sudden transition from my hectic first week to isolation was a stark change.

Part of me was glad to rest and recharge, but another part of me couldn’t stop thinking about the time I was losing and how I could make up for it later. Even when doing nothing, I felt the self-imposed pressure to keep searching for what would make this time my “life-changing experience.”

These weren’t bad weeks, but I wasn’t allowing myself to feel satisfied with what I was doing. It somehow didn’t feel good enough. Instead, I only shared what the next extraordinary thing I was planning on doing.

After these weeks, my next exciting experience finally came – traveling with my friends to Switzerland for our spring break. We planned to traverse the country in one week with activities scheduled for each day. This surely was going to be a trip worthy of telling my family when I got back, and it was – just not for the reason I initially thought.

By Alyssa Wend ’24 Editor-in-Chief

In the weeks leading up to my departure to London for my semester abroad, I kept hearing variations of the phrase, “this is going to be a life changing experience,” from my friends and family. While I was grateful for their enthusiasm, I began to dread this phrase and had no idea what “life changing” was supposed to look like for me. I could already feel the pressure building to come back affirming their statements.

From general accounts of people who have studied abroad, I knew that the unique experience is one that can shape people. I watched