There is a commonality shared by those who have been out of the country. Usually, those who have had the privilege to devour baguettes in France, bike the Cinque Terre in Italy and pour back a brew in Munich tend to return to the states with a newfound attitude. When asked about their time abroad, their eyes tend to turn upward as they began a long, meandering story about “the time I was in Europe.” Typically, this is accompanied by a large spoonful of shock and awe when they find out their peers have not had the privilege to gaze upon the Alps or visit the Tower of London.
  It’s easy to lose one’s patience with friends who have caught a major case of wanderlust and can only seem to dreamily reminisce of days spent lounging in Florence, sipping wine and basking in the novelty of living abroad. But the thing is, there’s a reason many people come back from studying abroad with this mania. Simply put, studying abroad is one of those rare life experiences that truly meets every expectation associated with it. Incredibly, it really is life-changing.
  This past summer was the first time I studied abroad for a substantial length of time. I decided to live in an apartment in Florence, Italy, for a month and take an intermediate drawing class. It would be rather boring for me to list off all of the life-altering cultural experiences that happened (though one of them did happen to involve meeting Conan O’Brien, though that happened in Paris, so I’ll let you imagine the rest) so let’s keep the focus on the important thing, which is getting any of you on the fence to take the plunge and go abroad, be it for a few weeks, a month or even a semester.
   I understand the objections to going abroad. The biggest issue for people seems to be of a financial nature, which is nothing to scoff at. Studying abroad for any length of time is going to involve a significant financial burden, which can be somewhat mitigated with scholarships from some of the programs, as well as some offered by Mississippi State University. But even with these, some people still find it hard to justify spending several thousand dollars for what, in their mind, only amounts to a few weeks of pleasure.
  It’s hard for me to convey how a study abroad experience is truly worth every single penny you spend on it, even if this means blowing all of your savings on a month. The memories that you make from going abroad are truly those that last a lifetime and ones that are well worth staying put in Starkville for a year if it means getting to see the Eiffel Tower with one’s own eyes. I promise no matter how much money a trip costs and no matter how much you might have to sacrifice in weekend trips or spring break plans, it is completely worth it to go and soak in another country’s culture for a few weeks or so. The memories and experiences that you accumulate in those precious days are enough to last for several lifetimes, and I encourage you to try to go sometime during your college career, no matter how much it costs.