If you're reading this, take this as your sign to apply to study abroad, trust me.

I honestly think going to Ireland was the best decision I ever made. At first, I was nervous to even apply, but then my close friend gave me some good advice: "If not now, when?" So, I took my time and submitted an application just to try, and I am so happy I did. I remember sitting at JFK Airport before leaving for a flight to Dublin and I had no idea how amazing the next 5 weeks of my life would be. In Galway, I lived in a shared apartment in a village filled with pastel colored buildings with three other girls from all around the USA. I never experienced homesickness once because once I got there, my days were filled with making shared dinners in our kitchen, singing songs on our way to town, watching movies and doing homework on slow nights, and finding a new family to explore Galway with. I am still in contact with the people that I met on our trip, and in fact, some of us are planning an annual trip to go back. Our program director was so supportive, making sure we knew the ins and outs of the city before letting us loose, and he was always very diligent to make time for one of us if anything arose. The classes were amazing, the professors came from all over Ireland, and our tour guides on field trips were charismatic, reciting poetry at times and truly immersing us in hidden spots all over Galway county. I was really intimidated by the prospect of European travel, as I was born and raised in a pretty isolated part of Montana, and this trip made me realize that I belonged to something on a global scale. Going to Galway really did change me and I am so grateful for the effect it has had on my life. Since going to Galway, I have made friends from Ireland, Germany, and the UK. There are so many people out there, so many connections to be made, so many things to learn. If you even have an inkling of an idea to apply, I would say, do not underestimate the liberation of traveling. It may seem daunting, but it is possible and it will be so amazing.