Overcoming Fears and Traveling Abroad

By Katherine O’Reilly 

Years ago, when I was five years old, my extended family and I decided to spend the day in Boston. On this day, I got lost in a restaurant and could not find my family for what seemed like hours, but was perhaps only a few minutes. Ever since, I have struggled with my desire to travel. I have always had a passion for traveling to new places and trying new things, but this latent fear of getting lost and not knowing where to go or what to do has haunted me. The first step towards conquering this fear was to submit the application to study abroad and since then, I haven’t looked back.

I arrived in Madrid, Spain a little over a month ago and moved in with my host family, a mother and her two sons, along with another American student. It was a bit intimidating to be moving in with a host family that speaks only Spanish, but I knew that it would give me the best and most well-rounded cultural experience in Spain. Even though it was a little more difficult since my roommate and I joined a family, it has been really great not only to have a host mom, but also two college-aged brothers who help show us around and give suggestions on different things to do.

I have always known that I wanted to travel, and as soon as I landed, my thirst for exploration only grew. Since then, I have traveled every weekend and booked many other future trips. Within Spain, I traveled to Valencia, Santander, Comillas, Santillana del Mar, and Toledo, and outside of Spain to Munich, Germany. Spain itself is a beautiful country, packed with culture and history around every corner. One of my favorite things is discovering different restaurants with authentic cuisine, always avoiding tourists traps. The cathedrals and churches throughout Spain are also beautiful, and learning the history behind the architecture and the church itself is so fascinating. I love being able to explore the different cities in Spain because I get to see a variety of things I had never thought to go explore, for example, Gaudí’s El Capricho in Santander. The house that Gaudí designed is filled with musical genius and symbols, and is covered in ceramic tiles. My two favorite parts of this house were the sunflower ceramic tiles covering the outside, as well as the bells in the windows that would chime when you opened them. This house was said to be a musician’s dream house! Right now, I am studying at la Universidad Pontificia Comillas in Madrid, and last weekend I was able to visit the original university in Comillas. The Catholic identity within the university is evident from the seven virtues and vices being engraved into the large front door, to the statues of the animals representing the four evangelists above the arch when you walk in and the ceilings designed in tribute to Noah’s Ark with 40 wooden animals representing the time spent with the animals involved.

Munich was gorgeous as well. I started in a popular shopping plaza, Marienplatz, which is a must if you go to Germany. In the center of Marienplatz is a large building with a glockenspiel that chimes every day at 11 AM and 12 PM, and at these times, small figures within the glockenspiel put on a show. It is definitely an experience that I suggest for anyone that visits Munich. This was my first ever solo trip, which was a big accomplishment for me,  I almost didn’t go due to my fear of traveling alone. But I did, and it ended up being the best decision of my life! I would have missed out on one of the most beautiful cities and one of the most culturally rich experiences of my life, and the chance to meet people from all over the world. At Oktoberfest, I met people from England, Scotland, Albania, Australia, and more. I got to hear so many travel stories and places, and made friends that I hope to see again soon.

I was really anxious about studying abroad because it would be a completely new experience in a place where it would be easy for me to get lost. I am so thankful for my friends and family for encouraging me to go, because I have seen some amazing places and made some lifelong friends. I cannot wait for the next three months in Europe and I cannot wait to travel more. As of now, I have plans to go to Ireland, England, Portugal, France, Poland, Ukraine, Morocco, Italy, and the Vatican. Studying abroad is definitely the best opportunity that I have been given, and I am so thankful to be able to travel while studying and really make the most of my experience abroad.