Kyle Chee: Stuck In My Room

 

Before heading off to the UK, I created a mental list of everything I wanted to gain from this trip. Mainly, it included different attributes that I wanted to acquire such as independence, courage, adaptability, and resourcefulness. From that list, I most importantly wanted to get out of my shell and become more of an extrovert. From my childhood and even till a lesser of an extent now, I have always been quiet and kept to myself. For that matter, I felt as if studying abroad was the perfect opportunity to help me branch out and to become more of a social person.

 

Throughout my time in the UK, especially during the beginning of my trip, I felt as if my main goal was becoming true. I was meeting amazing people from around the world and the local area, attending different events around campus such as flat parties, club nights, and different gatherings, and occasionally visiting London with friends. However, there was a huge part of me that just felt completely exhausted from meeting all these people and I started to resort to more time alone in my room.

 

I started to feel a little disappointed in myself because I felt that as my main goal wasn’t coming true, and that I was just going back to my normal self. It got even worse when one of my flat mates told me that I would have no chance to really gain everything from this experience unless I had an extroverted personality.  What she said really got to me, and I wondered why couldn’t I still have a blast studying in Europe while being an introvert?

After that, I decided there was no point in attempting to become an extrovert and that I was going to enjoy my time abroad as the person that I always was. This was honestly the best decision that I have ever made. While I still made time to meet new people and to hang with friends, I was able to do a few travels around Europe alone and was able to do exactly what I wanted to do without worrying about other people. From this, I felt as if I had learned so much about myself then I could have ever imagined.

For those who believe that they don’t withhold the right personality to study abroad, I can only encourage you to take a chance and to see what you can learn about yourself while you study abroad.

 

Kyle is a third year Business Administration student studying abroad at the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom.