If you just got back from study abroad, you’re feeling a lot of things right now. It’s not easy to sort through the thousands of experiences you’ve had and come up with a good answer to “Did you like studying abroad?” If you’re thinking about embarking on your own summer, semester, or year abroad, you might be having trouble articulating what it means to study abroad. Luckily for you (and us), there are people whose job it is to just come up with this stuff. No really—all you have to do is sit back, read these quotes, and nod your head thinking “that is so true!”
But it’s not just the pros who can put feelings about study abroad into words. Our ISEP students have found ways to put their journeys on the page too! With that in mind, check out how these wordsmiths (professionals and students alike) have summed up their experiences in ways we never could.
Travel changes the way you think
“I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” Mary Anne Radmacher, author
“It’s amazing to compare your culture to others and to open your mind. This is what I was looking for, and I think every student should experience this.” Adam Lowry, University of Southern Indiana to University of Eastern Finland
Love where you are
“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” Martin Buber, philosopher
“Studying abroad made me redefine the concept of home and distance. I found myself feeling closer to my parents while being abroad than at home.” Belen Rizzi, Universidad del Salvador to University of Chester
Get out of your comfort zone
“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” – Clifton Fadiman, author and radio/TV personality
“I made it here, and I got to see and do things that I never thought I would have the chance to do.” Jasmine Johnson, Chapman University to Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Take the risk
“To travel is worth any cost or sacrifice.” Elizabeth Gilbert, author
“It seems to me that once in your life before you die, you ought to see a country where they don’t talk in English and don’t even want to.” Thornton Wilder, playwright
“In my case, Switzerland is really expensive compared to Mexico, and if it weren’t for ISEP I couldn’t have had this experience. I really don’t have any complaints, everything was incredible.” Diana Contreras, Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente (ITESO) to Universitat Bern
Soak it all in
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust, author
“Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonalds? Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria’s mystery meat, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head? I know what I want. I want it all. I want to try everything once.” Anthony Bourdain, chef, author, and TV personality
Do you have a favorite travel-related quote? Which of these quotes do you identify with the most? Which ones inspire you? Tell us in the comments—choose your words wisely! For more inspiration, check out our first installment of study abroad quotes, or browse programs on the ISEP website that might get your word-crafting juices a-flowin’!
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