As Told By Kelly: Fly Up, Up, and Away

For those of you who do not know me, I am an addict. I think about it all the time and I need it. I feel absolutely crazy when I am not doing it and I crave the next one. That’s right, I am addicted to traveling. I know that many of you can relate. You take one really cool trip and the bug bites you. Hard. Traveling is always on both my conscious and unconscious mind.

I have always loved to travel, but I think I realized how much I need the excitement and adventure of exploring the world this past summer. In the summer of 2013, I embarked on the journey of a lifetime. I was a small-town girl who had never even been out of country, but I had big dreams. I had always thought of studying abroad, but I assumed it was too far out of reach. All last year I could not get studying abroad out of my head. People doubted me and assumed I was all talk. Well, the joke is on them because I did it.

On July 5, 2013, I traveled by myself to San Jose, Costa Rica to live there for the rest of my summer. You could say it was a little intimidating, but that is an understatement. I had not taken a Spanish class in six years and I was about to live in a house with three girls I had never even meet and a Costa Rican family.

I went to the airport that day with my parents and my boyfriend. I did cry a lot, as I had never been so far away from them before. I got on the plane, and the steward began speaking to me in Spanish. That’s when it really hit me hard. There was no turning back. I turned on my iPod and tried not to think about the fact that I would be landing in a foreign country with no friends or family in a mere six hours.

I landed at the airport and tried to act cool. Yes, I did feel pretty hardcore for being so independent. I got in a white van with the travel agent who worked for my university, and was driven to my house. Mildred, my Tica mother, greeted me at the gate that surrounded my new house. She began to speak rapid Spanish, and I looked helplessly to one of my new roommates, Michelle for assistance. Turns out neither of us knew much Spanish. Great.

My new roommates, Lielt and Kaylie arrived that night. I thought that everyone was so intimidating, and I had never felt lonelier in my life. How was I possibly going to survive here? Well, let me tell you something. Those three girls from the U.S. that I lived with turned out to be three of my best friends. Mildred and Edgar, my second set of parents talk with me weekly and keep me updated on their lives and ask me about mine. My Tico parents had seven amazing children, who taught me so much about life. They taught me that people really are the same, no matter where you are in the world.

Nothing on this earth could take away my amazing memories of the best summer of my life. I returned as a much more confident and outgoing person. I made friends from all over the world who I still keep in contact with. Studying abroad changed my life. I used to think about my future career in terms of money. Now, I am looking at careers that can allow me to travel. People might think it is crazy to revolve your life around traveling, but I am doing what makes me happy. I would truly rather travel the world and live out of a suitcase than make six figures and be stuck in the same monotonous spot in my life.

I would like to take this opportunity to tell you, as friends and fellow students, to take advantage of this opportunity. I am not rich. I work every weekend to support myself. Any excuse you may have, I can completely argue against. I worked hard and got scholarships to pay for almost all of my trip. I saved up money for months to bring down to Costa Rica with me. If you truly want something, you will find a way to achieve it. Consider taking a leap of faith and changing your life. You will not regret it, I promise. If you have ever thought of studying abroad and need someone to answer your questions, or even need someone to talk about your study abroad aspirations, I am here for you. There is nothing I would rather talk about, actually. Let me help you follow your dreams and accomplish something that many people do not have the courage to do. I hope you make the right decision. XOXO Frosties! Pura Vida!