One phrase I have always understood is "once bitten, twice shy." Everyone can probably think of a time in his or her life when they felt disappointed or betrayed enough to say to themselves, "No, never again."
I know I can, namely after my first study abroad experience in Germany, which forced me to defer my university education for one year. The program had promised that it would be the "best year" of my life, but that simply was not the case.
Between homesickness, culture shock, new family dynamics and every holiday with a different host family, I experienced far more downs than ups. I was glad - even relieved - to come back home, and I swore to myself that I would not put myself through that again. Once was enough.
And then I took the sophomore life planning course at DePauw University, which was partly run by the Civic and Global Center.
The same process I followed for Germany started all over again. I first applied since that did not guarantee I would study abroad. Then I applied to Queen Mary University of London because I might still get rejected, and that would be that. Before I knew it, I was standing in Heathrow airport.
Honestly, I could not have made a better decision when I began to fill out that application. London has proven to me repeatedly that "once bitten, twice shy" should not be allowed to govern my life.
First of all, I missed one of the worst winters ever. Whilst my family and friends were complaining about their second month of snow, I was enjoying 50 degrees or above weather. In fact, it has yet to get beneath 45 degrees in London since I arrived on Jan. 2.
But it is obviously not just the weather. London has provided me with new opportunities previously impossible. On a lovely day, I can go to one of the many parks and merely wander around, sometimes even getting to pet a puppy or two, or explore a new section of London with some friends.
On a not-so-lovely day, I can go to one of the numerous, free museums provided and see some of the rarest items. The Rosetta Stone is here, as are original paintings created by Van Gogh and Parthenon's marble, which Athens wants back and Great Britain refuses to return.
That is, of course, when I was not going to my once a week modules-you read that correctly-or doing coursework.
In the process of being here, I have made a fool of myself by gaping at Una Stubbs, an arse of myself by not being able to think properly in front of John Finnemore, a quiet fan as I took photos of Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone at the world premiere of "The Amazing Spiderman 2" and a flustered, apologetic fan as I had my photograph taken with Benedict Cumberbatch. In three days, I will briefly meet Andrew Scott, and who knows what story that will inspire.
For the first time since coming to DePauw University, I am genuinely outside of the DePauw bubble. I could not be happier. Queen Mary University of London has enhanced my overall education by pushing me in a way that DePauw never has.
I am frankly unable to confine how much this opportunity means to me in a mere 650 words. Therefore, I must say: if you have the means to do it, seriously consider studying abroad.
Do not allow trepidations to hold you back. It will all be worth it when you return having met interesting people, tried new foods, experimented with your own cooking and found a new understanding of not just the world, but of DePauw as well.