Why? Why? Why?

“The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

But why?

Many have asked me why I chose to study abroad. They want to know what made me want to go and what I will be doing there. Why did I choose the Netherlands and what do I expect to achieve by going there? I had all the same questions for myself. That is why I am writing about it here. I could quite possibly still be trying to talk myself into this adventure!

The Chance of a Lifetime

I was told so many times this exact line, “I wish I had the chance to live abroad in college. Now is the time to do it.” I will be honest, my freshman year of college, I thought that was pretty cheesy. I won’t regret not going abroad, who even cares? Why do I need to go all the way across the world to learn a little about culture? (Guess what? That thought was exactly the reason I needed to go all the way across the world to learn about culture.) Once I realized how rewarding of an experience this could be, my “who cares?” turned into a “why not?”. Slowly but surely my “why not?” turned into a “yeah, I really have to go and I can’t wait!”

Terrifically Terrified

Don’t get me wrong, I had my doubts from the very beginning and I still do today. I decided I was going to study abroad my freshman year and by the end of the year I had completely changed my mind. I claimed I was not ready and there was no way I could do it. Then one day, just before my sophomore year, I decided I had better do a little more research because maybe I would regret being too scared to try. Today I sit in St. Louis airport scared to death (very open and honest, I know, you’re welcome). The one thing that makes all of that terrified feelings go away is this thought: God is calling me to do great things. I will learn invaluable lessons about others as well as myself. I will come back a completely new person. I need this to grow into the woman I want to be one day.

That is why I am still getting on that plane!

Going Dutch

Why the Netherlands? I have so many reasons. When originally thinking about studying abroad, I donned on my neighbor for advice. A few years older than me, Shannon studied at Radboud University in Nijmegen a couple years ago. I knew that she had a great time so I thought I would at least look up the program. Knowing that she had been there and had all the inside tips really helped my decision. This also meant that my mom could trust her mom when she said it was safe, clean and actually a great place (not just on paper). Next, after finding that the school did have a psychology program, I spoke with my psychology advisor at Missouri State and he assured me that the Netherlands would be a great place to further my psychology training! He has taught in the Netherlands and claims that they have great research in the field of psychology. I trust that I will be able to learn a lot not only in the classroom but through the city as well. It is important when training to be a psychologist to learn from people from all different walks of life. I am really looking forward to discussing the different stigmas and views of mental health from all over the world. The greatest part about studying abroad is not only do I get to live with many Dutch people but I also get to meet people from all over the world who are coming to study there too!

Expectations

I expect to go abroad not just to gain experience living in another country or learning about different types of people. I expect to learn so much that I can put toward my education as a Psychologist. I truly believe that this experience will help shape the type of counselor I will become one day. Now you see why being terrified is not an excuse. Once I am there, I know for certain it will be for the best!

What to look for next: The Big European Family Vacation!