Living abroad has been the closest thing to “life-changing” I've gotten to in my life.
I come from a small mexican town, where while we´re sort of global in mindset we´re still a town where everyone knows everyone, everyone talks about everyone, and so on.
I was lucky enough to be born in a family where going on exchange is pretty much obligatory and even if i was ever afraid, nervous, or stubborn enough to cry and say I did not want to leave the decision was made “you´re going on exchange either you like it or not”. Thanks mom and dad, for not letting a mere 18 year old stay in Mexico just because of a boyfriend (I still laugh about that).
My first “international” experience came much earlier though, at about 10 years old my parents sent me on a summer camp to California. I guess we can all pretty much agree that your level of independence at 10 years old is well, nonexistent (or so it was for me), so having to be responsible for all my things, communicating my every need, respecting my peers, and putting in practice my other first language was pretty helpful and started to form me in an independence that was unknown to me before.
The second summer camp was within Mexico, but it was much further away and for a longer period of time. This was the first time I flew all by myself, I was about 13 or less and my dad had solicited an assistant for me that didn´t register on web so I had to go solo. I survived pretty well, enjoyed my time on camp like never before, and even had my first (of many later on) experiences with overweight at the airport, to which I responsibly responded by layering my every jacket on my little self back then.
Several years later I embarked on my first solo international travel to India, at 18 years old, this was an experience of a lite-time. I went on a brief exchange in which I got the amazing opportunity to live with an Indian family and wow, that´´ when I discovered how amazing it is to be shown a culture by it´´ own people, anyone can travel but actually getting that doses of culture transmitted by its own people is incredible.
A few months after that I left for a year long exchange in Normandy, France. I wasn't at all excited to live in a small town, I craved big city life, and the fact that it rained almost daily had me going crazy. Bur again, I was welcomed into a family home of the sweetest people, running with great luck again, and my level of french and knowledge of french culture wouldn't be the same today without them.
And now, 4 years later, at the age of 22, I got the opportunity to intern at an amazing creative and cultural organization in Madrid, Spain. By now I feel overwhelmed with the amount of opportunities I've gotten and the amount of things and experiences I´ve been lucky enough o experience thanks to them.
Throughout all these experiences I can honestly and proudly say I´ve changed A LOT. Physically and mentally, and it has been the best consequence of all these experiences.
I used to think like a small town girl does, small. I used to give way too much importance to things that later on seemed ridiculous to me and I got the chance, and I still get it, to get to know myself within different situations and discover who I truly am as a citizen of the world.
Friend wise I got to see who of my friends is a true friend that will stick with me through whatever and actually makes an attempt at reaching out. As I also discovered who of those were not in it for the long run, and that noticing that at such a young age was nothing but a blessing.
I got to see how strong I am and how creative and practical I can be when finding solutions for spontaneous problems that appear out of nowhere when you least expect them.
But most importantly I learned how to make my own way in this world, how amazing it is just to get lost, wonder around and spontaneously find the best of places, foods, people, knowledge. I learned that having an open mind to everything is the best thing you can do to live any experience to the fullest and that judgment will probably set you back ages.
I learned to be patient, to enjoy the ride and that there is so much more to life out there.