Why go abroad?

Before I make a new post about my time as erasmus I would like to make a small reflection about going abroad.

On most of my posts so far I am talking about how good my time was a Erasmus, how good it was as a finding myself experience, etc. The point I want to get to is not that by going on erasmus you will be a new person, that it is the best you can do, I mean probably a big part of my readers aren't university students and don't have the chance to make this type of programmes. The point I want to get to is, go abroad, experience to live in a other country, with a other culture, way of living, food... It can be nothing but good for you because it will help you to either improve a language or to learn a new one, you will make contacts from all over the world, I have no doubt at all that it will be a rewarding experience. And of all people I've talked to about going abroad whether it is to go studying or working, most of the time I hear answers like "but my English is not that good", "what if nobody there speaks English?", "I am scared to be alone and so far from home"...And I tell them, of course you are scared, but that is part of the experience, the fear of the unknown and as soon as you arrive to your destination, you will make it work because it will end up being a need.

Quoting my father again, he left Spain when he was 18 years old to move to Sweden, did he know Swedish? NO, not even English. What the hell, he hadn't even finished school, but he moved because of the need to get a job and the opportunity was in Sweden. So, basically what he had to do is to work hard, interact with locals and study. After have lived around 30 years in Sweden, my dad had learned a new language, had made lifetime long friends and had met the love of his life with whom he built a family. Do you think that is what he had expected when he was 18, lost and moved to Sweden?

So what I am trying to say is, whether it is by fear, need, curiosity or whatever, DO IT, move around and don't dream it or say what if, because some day you will regret not having done it.


For all of you who are students and read this post, I recommend you to read the article on the link, which re-states all I've mentioned and gives you more reasons to do it:
http://www.moneycrashers.com/reasons-why-study-abroad-benefits/