Finals are now over, and I will be leaving Leeds soon to go to South Korea for a summer abroad program. I’ve realized that I’ve learned a lot of different things while studying abroad in Leeds, so I will share some of these thoughts with you in this blog post.

I’ve learned that I should travel more.

People in England seem to travel a lot, and granted, there are a lot of cheap flights that go to European countries, so it is easier for them to travel. However, even my Australian friend who has to take extremely long (and more expensive) flights to get to other countries has traveled so much! When people heard that I’ve never been to Latin America or Canada, they were shocked! There are also many people that I have met who have been to more places in the U.S. than I have (even though they aren’t even from the states)! So now, I plan on saving more money, so I can eventually travel the U.S. and go to Latin America, Canada, and many other places including the home countries of the friends I made abroad! Studying abroad has awakened in me an even stronger desire to travel the world!

I’ve also learned that studying abroad with friends can make you a little too comfortable.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve loved studying abroad with my two friends, and I wouldn’t change it, but I think I could have made more new friends if I didn’t already have two of my best friends with me. Since I already had friends to travel with, eat with, and shop with, I didn’t try as hard to do those things with the new people I met! I also noticed that the new friends I met came from classes I didn’t have with my friends from home and from my dorm (my friends had different dorms). But overall, I loved having my friends from home here because I missed home a lot, and they made this place a second home.

I’ve learned that distance makes the heart grow fonder (I’ve missed you, Mississippi)

Compared to exciting, foreign cities, Mississippi doesn’t seem like the most fun place to live, but after I left Mississippi, I’ve missed it so much! Though isn’t full of big cities, it is comfortable and chill. I’ve missed my family and friends, but just in general, the people in Mississippi are so nice and welcoming (not that people here aren’t nice-it’s just different). The weather is warm and sunny (though it can be too hot and humid). Haha, I didn’t know I could miss the sun so much! And oh man, I have missed the food!! Mississippi is home, and I love and miss it.

Thank you for reading!

Katelyn