The biggest challenge I will have
while studying abroad is, no doubt, reaching out to make friends.
Meeting new people is one of my favorite things but as a shy
extrovert, getting further than small talk with anyone rarely
happens. This semester I really hope to break out of my shell and
push myself to try to make friends. Going off of this, it's probably
not best to outline my strong dislike for participating in on campus
activities. So, this spring my plan is to join the local rugby in
Edinburgh to better integrate myself with the locals.
Rugby is wildly popular in Scotland,
and the university that I will be attending has multiple clubs.
Though women's rugby union isn't quite as popular, the massive
following and participation of this sport almost guarantees that I'll
be able to find a club to join. If all else fails, I'll be right
there supporting my university’s men's union team.
My next plans much more natural.
Because public transportation is used much more widely where I'll be
staying, I'll be taking a lot of buses and trains to travel. This
spring I will also be torn away from my smart phone, and finally I
love talking to strangers. Growing up, I loved hearing stories from
my dad about the time he backpacked across Australia and met my mom.
Most all of them started with someone he met on a train to Sydney or
on the bus to Uluru or while hanging out in some local hole in the
wall pub. While I'm not planning on spending my time in sketchy bars
around Edinburgh, I am going to seriously put an effort into
initiating conversation with people all around me. We unfortunately
live in world fixated on the technology glued to our hands, so this
spring I will be putting the Iphone away to make the most of every
train ride or bus stop.
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