Studying abroad in Portugal has been a life-changing experience, as cliche as that sounds. In all transparency, my trip began pretty rough. I was having trouble making friends, and being in a new country already came with its large share of challenges (including a totally new language!). After a few days of feeling down in the dumps, I got myself together and decided I would make the most of my experience. I explored new places by myself, and really got to see how resilient and curious I truly am. I got to know some of the others in the program better, and even some outside of it, and began to feel like I fit in a little more. Even though a few more things went wrong on the trip (including a minor foot injury), I still had a blast. For this final blog, I want to share some of the “firsts” I experienced.
For the first time, I…
- Flew on a plane by myself
- Stayed in a European country
- Used communal showers (it is a…unique experience)
- Rode the metro by myself
- Said good morning (bom dia) in Portuguese
- Took a cooking class
- Learned about Portugal’s drug decriminalization policy (and visited SICAD headquarters)
- Explored a historical landmark by myself
- Took a biking tour (that was actually sort of terrifying, but I’m still glad I did it)
- Watched a pride parade in another country
- Celebrated St. Anthony’s Day (very big deal in Lisbon!)
- Painted a tile
- Watched a Fado show
- Planned a trip in another city by myself
- Ate pastel de nata (which is a traditional Portuguese egg custard)
- Studied abroad 🙂
Thank you to everyone who made this study abroad experience possible, especially to the Center for International Education for helping me fund this trip. I set out to gain more independence and have new experiences, and I did just that.
