New Place, New Me: What I Learned About Myself While Studying Abroad

---

What I Learned About Myself While Studying Abroad

Lesson No.1:

I love how this city affects me. I love this new me. I used to have those periods when everything would go smoothly, and I would love the high, get addicted to it, and put so much pressure on myself to keep going, and then the first failure would feel like the end of the world. Now I’m loving the lows, too. My views shifted. I feel like I’m free.
The city is so vibrant and inviting. I’m constantly happy. I’m always out and about. There’s so much to see and do, so many beautiful people to meet, and so much to draw inspiration from.

---

---

Lesson No. 2:

For whatever I plan out, it doesn’t come true. All of my dreams came true precisely because my planning failed me. I got everything I ever wanted and dreamed of. I did it! The only different thing is the way I got there. The moments when nothing went according to plan were exactly the ones that opened the doors to my dream life. It just took me some time to recognize that I was already in the room.

Lesson No.3:

The art of being alone. No, I don’t mean staying in my room all day, all by myself. (I thought I’d mastered solitude by spending my days alone in my apartment, but then I wondered why I felt so lonely, suffocated by the same four walls that kept closing in on me.) No, I mean going out for a coffee, window shopping, sightseeing, or checking out a new restaurant – by myself. It may not seem like much, but this is a huge accomplishment.

Lesson No. 4:

The many courtyards of VU – I think I finally know where each one leads. A bit of context: Vilnius University, where I’m spending my semester abroad, is a labyrinth. It feels like an entirely new world entering the grounds. Also, I learned how to say “Sveiki!” (Lithuanian for “Hello!”) properly, but I’m still waiting for my Lithuanian language course to start.

New Place, New Me

I can’t wait to see where this experience takes me and who I’ll be at the end of it. Such beauty surrounds me in every aspect, and I’m excited for every new day. No, actually, I can wait. I can wait to see that. I’m going to enjoy the journey first.

---