What I Didn't Appreciate About Studying Abroad in London Until I Left

Studying abroad is such a life-changing experience and sometimes isn’t appreciated until after the fact, which makes it difficult because you think back on what you would’ve done differently. This had happened to me as well. While I was studying abroad in London, I took a lot for granted. While there, I personally didn’t think I was doing enough to get the full experience that I wanted, but once I got back home and was telling stories of what I did, where I went, and what I experienced, I realized I did way more than I previously thought.

When I got back home, I made a scrapbook of all the pictures I took as well as tickets I had saved, and that gave me a full grasp of what I had actually done while there. I was able to look back on the pictures I had taken and relive what I got to experience, which gave me London withdrawals. It's hard to be able to see and grasp the full experience of studying abroad until afterward, because then you are able to look at the journey as a whole and see the bigger picture rather than looking at what's happening in the moment -- although that's a good way to live, too: day by day.

Although I don’t wish to have changed anything about my experience as a whole, I wish I's been able to live more in the moment instead or worrying about small details that I couldn’t really control. While abroad, I was able to experience what I wanted to and so much more. I was able to go to Ireland and different areas around the UK as well. Overall the experience is incredible, and I hope more people get to appreciate it.