Isn’t everyone doing one of these when they go abroad nowadays?

The short answer: Sharing my experiences and personal growth with others will help me to better document my time abroad.

The long answer: Why, hello, there! If you don’t know me, my name is Lily Annabelle. Vanderbilt ’21. Major: Medicine, Health, and Society. Minors: Sociology and Theatre. This fall I will be studying abroad in Stockholm, Sweden with DIS. Now that we’ve gotten basic introductions out of the way, I can talk about why I thought people might be interested in my experiences abroad.

I am not someone who usually takes a lot of pictures. I tend to enjoy the moment and focus on what I’m doing, which sounds nice but often leaves me wishing for keepsakes from fun nights with friends.

I also am (apparently) incapable of writing down stuff about my life. I have tried to start various diaries and journals, rarely making it past a singular entry.

All this is to say, sharing my experiences and reflections will help me to make the most of my time abroad and have a keepsake of my experience that will last even longer than my study abroad journey.

My goals for this experience are to explore and be adventurous – try new foods, visit new places. I want to acclimate to Stockholm, and by learning as much of the language as possible and acting like a local, truly experience living in a new city.

At the time of my writing this, there are only 30 days until I depart from the United States. There is so much to take care of before I leave, and I can’t wait to share my journey with y’all!

Header credit: Photo by Robert Bye on Unsplash