An Exchange Student for the Wrong Reasons

It is actually hard to believe that I was an exchange student. Why? Because the reasons why I decided to be one are quite weird and maybe irrelevant. But let's be honest, I was fifteen and I was not mature yet. All I wanted to do was walking the halls of American schools with my group of friends, drinking Starbucks 24/7 and wandering around either Los Angeles or Manhattan.

Well, it is safe to say, that nothing mentioned above actually happened. I did not have a huge group of friends, I had friends, which is different. I also did not drink Starbucks that much because after all who honestly fucking cared about it? And I was not placed in a big city, I was in Colorado. But was I happy? Am I happy? Yes. Once I arrived in the United States I did not even remember that I had all those weird desires.

The only thing that did not change, and probably will hardly change during time, is the love I feel for big cities, for NYC in particular. See, I was in a fairly small city during my exchange. I loved every single second of it, but I would still move to the "dirty and busy" New York. I consider myself as an introvert but social person, meaning that I tend to spend time on my own even though I don't mind being around people from time to time. I would enjoy NYC on my own because if let's say I get lost, I do not have to notify anyone. I can take my time, I can discover hidden alleys and ask locals how to get back. I can take pictures, I can sip a cup of coffee and so on. Some of you reading this blog post might disagree, but this is what makes the world special: the fact that we are all different.

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The Outcome Matters

So yeah I became an exchange student just because I wanted to learn English, visit the big metropolitan cities and for the sake of living in the United States, which has always been my dream and after all everyone thinks of it as a cool thing to do. All of that turned out to be much more. It taught me which things in life matter and which simply do not. I didn't only learn a new language but I learned how to deal with people from different cultures, and not only the American one but many more - due to the fact that I met people from all over the world.

All I am trying to say is that the reasons why you go on exchange may be a bit stupid, some people might tell you that that's the wrong direction you are walking towards, but do not listen to them and go abroad because outcomes are not stupid. Once back home, you will realize how much more you learned compared to the things you thought about prior your departure. You will learn stuff you did not even know existed, you will see things differently. What's normal for you is not normal through someone else's eyes, and for me this is why everyone needs to go and travel.

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- Cristian

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