Approaching 宝博体育 with Confidence and Determination

Individuality is a characteristic that is hard to grow. Pushing yourself past boundaries like loneliness, 无聊, 决策, and responsibility can be a big task for someone who has grown up in a community of support. 宝博体育 allowed me the opportunity to grow in these areas. I was the only student from my university (Texas Tech) who attended the CEA program in 布拉格, 捷克共和国——指的是签证程序, 应用程序, 飞机坐, 次要的任务完全由我自己完成. 虽然这可能会让人望而生畏，压力很大, this is not an excuse to stop this amazing journey you are about to experience.

While there are disadvantages to being an individual in this process, 比如文书工作和截止日期的压力, 决策, 和对未知的思考, 利远大于弊. 在布拉格留学 has allowed me personal growth, friendships to last a lifetime, and so much more. Decisions were a lot easier to make because you are deciding for one. You can eat at that cute café you saw down the road, or visit the store with the pretty window display. My confidence has grown, and I am more willing try new things and meet new people. For example, before arriving to 布拉格, the students going made a GroupMe. 它没有被大量使用, but there was one girl I eventually reached out to and we ended up becoming good friends. I ended up becoming friends with her roommates as well, and we all established a friend group. We have stayed in contact since coming home, and we plan to meet up this summer. Use the resources available to you, because who knows what you can get out of it?

Solo trips are another amazing part about traveling alone. While abroad, I took a week-long trip to Munich, Germany. Although I did this completely by myself, I felt I had friends the whole time. While on a free walking tour (I highly recommend these, and they are offered in most cities) I met a girl from Singapore. Later in the week, we met and visited another local site and had lunch together. This was just one unique experience of many that happened that week. If I had been with even one person, I would not have been able to meet the people I did.

To make this transition easier, I have a few recommendations I learned along the way. Don’t take life too seriously and miss out on the opportunities surrounding you. You’re going to be nervous and that’s understandable, but don’t let the fear hold you back. 永远记住:你并不孤单. FaceTimeing family and friends back home often is important to not only you but them as well. If this doesn’t help, find the things you used to do at home. If you ate out every Saturday night with family, find an alternative abroad. Gather friends or roommates and cook a meal every Saturday night. Little things like this can help you mentally get over that loneliness. Don’t be afraid to talk to people when things are bothering you. Roommates or friends are great, but another amazing resource is the CEA staff. 他们在那里提供帮助并提供好的建议.

现在，开始你的冒险吧! Approach it with confidence and determination, and remember you don’t have to be alone. 很多人都有过和你一样的经历. 校友 will also look for any excuse to talk about their experience, so please reach out.

肯德尔Bannowsky is a 东航校友 Ambassador who studied abroad in 布拉格, 捷克共和国, 2019年秋季学期. She is currently a student at Texas Tech University.