Going on a study abroad is not only a great way to experience new cultures and visit different countries, but it is an amazing opportunity to step outside of your comfort zone and make new connections. Before leaving for Spain, I only knew one other girl among the 22 students going on my trip. We were brothers in the same service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega, so I knew she was nice, but we weren’t exactly close. The uncertainty about whether I was going to make friends and get along with people left me absolutely terrified. Here I am, a mere 20-year-old girl, traveling by myself for the first time, to a whole continent nonetheless, and I know practically no one. I was nervous, but it only took a couple of days into the trip to realize I was going to have an incredible time in and out of the classroom.
Everyone is always worried at first when they start something new. Am I going to like it? What if I don’t get along with anyone? One of the most important things to remind yourself before going abroad is that you’re traveling with people just like you. In my case, I was embarking on the Global Health in Spain program. This meant that I was traveling with 21 other health-related majors who were around my age and interested in the same field as me. Remembering this fact and keeping an open mind made making friends so much easier because everyone is worried about the same exact things.
Within practically the first week, my small friend group was inseparable. Caroline was the first friend I made even before we left the airport. This friendship had a little bit of a head start since we’re brothers in the same service fraternity, but we grew much closer over the course of the trip. Caroline and I then met Zora, a familiar face from our public health classes, at the Málaga airport. Last but certainly not least came Halle. The three of us started to get to know Halle after a few nights into the program, and she completed our small little circle during our big Global Health in Spain adventure. Don’t worry. The four of us also spent time with the rest of the students on the program, especially during class time, but when it came to free time, the four of us were always together.
For the next two and a half weeks, the four of us ate pretty much every meal together and went on fun adventures most nights. Even got to know some of the local students through the University of Málaga. One of the activities of the Global Health in Spain program was to meet with some of the University of Málaga students and answer some of their questions about the United States. Our professor really pushed for us to make these local connections so that we could get to know the city firsthand and create a more universal inclusion. So we did. During this activity, the four of us met two local students, Nico and Alfonso. We invited them out for dinner the next night and spent the whole night comparing our countries and learning the different aspects of young adult life. We ended the night by getting gelato at the city’s best gelato shop, Casa Mira, and walking the guys back to their night buses since we talked for so long that the metro was closed.
The moral of the story is everyone is scared of the unknown at first, but the important thing is to remember to keep an open mind and make new friends along the way!