While everyone else is back home in rainy England, I get to wake up to the best sunrises in the world, live an American lifestyle and experience every day the vibrant New Mexico culture.
I highly encourage anyone to live abroad at one moment in their life.
Experience a new culture
Millions of people around the world travel to the U.S. every year. However, not many have the opportunity to live here amongst the locals. Every day I am learning how to adjust to paying with American dollars, using colloquial phrases and eating American homemade food. It’s impossible to form an opinion about a country and learn to love it until you live there.
Meet new friends for life
I have been privileged enough to meet some amazing people out here. Some are exchange students and others are fellow Americans. With the ubiquitous availability of social media and even old-fashioned email, I can keep in contact with everyone I have met. I’m fortunate to know that when I come back to the U.S., or they come over to England, each of us will have a friend to call for a place to stay or a familiar face to see.
Travel from state to state
One of the things I will miss most about living in New Mexico is the ease of traveling. Before living here, I never understood why so many Americans had never been on a plane, but now I understand. Why fly when a bunch of you and your friends can sit in a car, listen to music, eat junk food and drive to wherever you please, while the most incredible scenery passes you by?
A different education system
The educational system is different in every country. In England, a history major can only take history classes with the possibility of finishing a degree in three years. Out here, although I am an English literature and theater major, I have the option to take psychology classes, dance classes and yoga. That’s what I call a flexible choice.
Improve career options
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Studying abroad gives students the opportunity to stand above the crowd of other university students when looking for a job. While this exchange is for study, it is also an opportunity for me to improve my resume and stand out from the crowd in an interview.
Most career-minded individuals have a university degree--so that piece of paper no longer makes a candidate look unique. With study abroad an interviewer immediately knows you are independent, adaptable to change and willing to try new things.
I encourage anybody, should the opportunity of studying abroad present itself, to seize the moment.
Sophie Earle is a columnist for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
