…THAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING IN AMERICA—

While abroad, I have basically started an entirely new life: new country, new friends, new language, new city, new classes and new routines. Naturally, I’ve start living my daily life differently – even the smallest things, like the way I get to work, have changed. Which begs the question: do these positive changes have to be limited to time abroad? Why limit these new routines to foreign countries? Here are some of the new habits I’ve developed while abroad that we should all try to do a little more of in America.

1. Traveling.

While abroad, I plan a trip for nearly every weekend. Admittedly, flying certainly is cheaper in Europe than America, but that shouldn’t stop us from taking advantage of the fifty beautiful states that we can visit without even renewing our passports. Why don’t we plan weekend road trips around South Carolina, Tennessee or Georgia? Why is it that we only travel with our families, on vacations planned by our dads? If I’m capable of figuring out how to get around Paris by myself during a train strike, I’m capable of anything. We are old enough to explore, and that shouldn’t be limited to Europe.

2. Being a tourist.

The word “tourist” has such a negative connotation in our culture and is associated with naiveté, inexperience and even rudeness. Calling someone a tourist indicates that they don’t belong, that they are not authentic. Understandably, we are afraid of doing things that would place us in this notorious category. However, sometimes the best way to experience a city is by looking at it through the eyes of someone who has never seen it before. People find joy in travelling and in seeing new things – so why not do this in our own town? When I visit a new city abroad, I plan my days based on community events and cultural monuments. Why don’t we take advantage of the tourist opportunities in our own city?

3. Making an effort to talk to locals. 

Even if we probably consider ourselves to be locals in Spartanburg, when is the last time we tried to make friends with the waitress at Cribbs? Here, I find myself chatting with almost every service worker I meet (in broken English/Italian, of course). I ask them about their favorite restaurants and what they like to do on the weekends, so that I can learn from the locals and experience Rome in the most authentic way possible. The man who sells fruit below my building and I have become great friends. In America, I almost never reach out to the people I see every day. Which doesn’t make sense at all.

4. Checking in with loved ones.

When I’m travelling through Europe, I am a much better communicator than when I am sitting around on campus in America. My postcard, letter and email statistics keep climbing; when I get back from a weekend trip, I immediately find WiFi so I can tell my parents, grandparents and friends all about my adventures. When I’m at school in America, however, I don’t bother checking in nearly as much. I can’t remember the last time I called my grandma from Wofford just to tell her about my weekend. Just because a weekend at Wofford isn’t quite as exciting as a weekend in Paris doesn’t mean that she wouldn’t appreciate hearing about it. When you’re abroad, you realize the importance of being present in your loved ones’ lives, even when thousands of miles away.

A few of the other new routines abroad has instilled in me include journaling, walking and utilizing public transportation. Hopefully, I’ll be able to take these routines back with me when I return to America.