“The night before I left to study abroad, I doubted all my decisions. I was certain I was doing the wrong thing. What was I thinking, going to a foreign country 4,000 miles away from home, literally a world away? I was never more scared in my life; I never felt more vulnerable. Students abroad get scared for a lot of reasons, and my reason was because I didn’t know anyone in my program. I’ve always been surrounded by great, supportive friends, and this was my first time on my own without them. Having fear was the best thing to happen to my time spent abroad; it turned me into a better person. My fear evaporated because I became more comfortable with myself and my decisions. I began to trust myself. I regretted regretting going abroad. I became at ease not because I made friends, but because I became at ease through myself. Being scared is good because you learn and grow from it. I learned that studying abroad really is the most rewarding thing you can do in life, in more ways than one, for from it I grew into a better person. My decision to go abroad was the best decision of my life; I certainly did the right thing.”