Becoming a "Yes man"

Living in the moment, trying to take a step back and really for once just live in the moment. As many Americans agree it's typically our culture to always be focused on the future, Go to school, get a job, get married, buy a house, have kids. Some call this the American dream, for most of my life I would have to agree this was my mindset, now I'm not saying having a plan isn't a bad thing, but we often tend to lose sight of what's actually happening at this current moment. So far this experience has taught me one crucial life lesson I will always hold close to me. That is to live in the moment, how am I supposed to make the most of my future if I'm not even making the most of my present? This is the key to getting the most out of my experience, By saying "yes". Say yes to everything, if someone offers you food, perhaps you've never thought you would try, do it, last week at a Brazilian BBQ I ate chicken heart for the first time.  I'm not the type of person who ordinarily goes out to the clubs or pubs often back at home, but I've learned to really enjoy going out with friends, anytime they ask even if it's on a Tuesday, Because each new experience leaves me with new memories, and stories that I can always hold on to. Pushing myself out of my comfort zone, and actually trying every new thing I can and each time becomes even better, everyday I can see myself growing into a happier, more confident person and I owe that to saying "yes". I never want to look back at this experience of studying abroad and think "what could I have done to enjoy myself more, or get more out of this time". Instead I want to look back each time knowing I took advantage of every opportunity in front of me, tried anything new I possibly could and using these experiences to shape the person I want to be for the rest of my life.

If I was to give one piece of advise to anyone planning on studying abroad it would be to mix and mingle every single day with every person you meet. It's great to have a solid core of friends who you can count on to be there for you, but DO NOT stick primarily in that group, any event or group trip you attend place yourself into another group of people. The more friends the merrier, especially being someone who is fluent in English you are a great asset for any group of international students, most of them come abroad to develop stronger English skills and they will greatly appreciate your time and friendship.

Building Worldwide Friendships

One of my Biggest goals in my time spent abroad is to build real friendships, with as many people from as many countries I possibly could. When I was interviewed for the George Mitchell Scholarship I was asked what was it that I could bring to Ireland? This was a very complex and difficult question, My immediate thought was food, my experience and passion for cooking and baking is one of my strongest characteristics, not to mention food is typically what I have on the brain. If their's one thing that everyone around the world has in common, other than the fact we are all human, would have to be our appreciation for food. (I won't lie one thing that I struggled with and stressed about the most when I moved into Eden Hall was not having the luxury of all my cooking gadgets I have back at home. But that is just apart of the experience, challenging myself to become more creative and making due with the resources I can get my hands on.) The link between different cultures and their foods might be one of the most distinct, yet powerful. This inspired the international residents of Eden Hall to create a International dinner party, at first we expected possibly 25-30 people to show up. Our expectations were greatly exceeded resulting in one of the greatest experiences of my journey thus far, with roughly 70 people participating, From Germany, Canada, Brazil, France, Poland, Switzerland, Italy, America, Finland, and more. All gathered together with food or drinks from our homes, exchanging stories and recipes of what we made. As well as future cooking lessons/parties to teach our techniques, and recipes to increase our learning experience.  To me experiences like this are some of the best souvenirs one can take away from such an incredible experience abroad. The true friendships you create and the international family you build. I couldn't ask to be with a greater group of people.