Tomato Sauce

By Rebecca Allen ’25 Staff Writer

Every night

I have a different nightmare. In the morning, Doves call and Lawnmowers hum. I’m alone again And it feels Like going backwards.

In the afternoon, I walk fast and Listen to my music, A riot grrrl, Staring down everyone, On a mission a close friend come back from her study abroad experience with a new confidence that made her noticeably different. I admired this, but I wasn’t sure how she got there.

To race the sun.

When I was finally leaving for London, I felt a mix of fear and optimism. I am not usually the biggest fan of change, but all I could think about was how lucky I was to have this experience and I wondered how I was going to make the most of it.

During my first week in London, I committed to making the most out of each day: I packed my schedule with exploring the city with new friends. While this was an amazing experience, it was also incredibly draining.

I began thinking in shareable moments, judging the worthiness of an experience based on whether it was worthy of a story to my parents to prove that studying abroad was worth it. This mindset had me unknowingly categorizing moments as either “ordinary” or “extraordinary.” I found myself discounting the weeks where I felt like I was doing nothing but classes even while all of my experiences were not “ordinary” by virtue of being in another country.

I didn’t realize that this mindset was hindering my experience until I began just waiting for these extraordinary moments. A month into studying abroad, I felt like I was doing nothing. I had settled in my routine: going to class, doing homework, grocery shopping, doing laundry, and occasionally hanging out with friends.

In this week-long trip full of excitement, one of my favorite moments ended up being one of the most ordinary ones: sitting on a bench alone in a park just thinking. While I had great stories about the rest of my trip to tell my parents, I had a newfound appreciation for these more peaceful moments. I have loved exploring the city and being able to travel, but I have often found just as much or even more joy in what I previously considered ordinary moments. Experiences I know I will cherish and look back on include walking in the park next to campus or sitting with my friends in one of their dorm rooms. While these are things I could experience at home, I have learned to view these moments as just as life-changing as others.

As I reflect on my first two months abroad, I suddenly feel less afraid to share my experience with my friends and family at home. While there isn’t a single moment I can point to and say “that changed my life,” I can confidently say that I have found value in every experience, extraordinary or mundane.