The Adventurous Expatriate

September was a month of firsts for me: first time leaving home, first time in England, first year at university. See, travel isn’t always just a trip; sometimes it’s a life change, a pivotal choice that entirely alters your path and dramatically shifts your world. So when I left my small town in Minnesota with an overstuffed duffle and a one-way ticket to London, it wasn’t just to take a vacation or see a new country, it was the first step of a completely new life – and one of the best decisions I have ever made.

There’s something exhilarating being in a place where no one knows your name. When I arrived at Heathrow on that rainy fall morning, not a soul in the country knew my face or had heard my name, could care less what happened to me. I’ll be honest, it was one of the scariest, loneliest, and most eye-opening moments of my life. The sadness grew in my bones that day – but it wasn’t the only thing. After that initial moment of overwhelming grief, mourning the life I left behind, there was a rush of excitement like acid through my veins. This was my chance to show everyone exactly what I was capable of and, in Joyce’s words, “learn in my own life and away from home and friends what the heart is and what it feels.” So no one was going to be there to comfort or guide me, but that also meant no one could tell me what I could and couldn’t do or judge me on my past. I could reinvent myself, rename myself, take up salsa dancing if I felt like it, or decide to wear bowler hats on the regular. That’s what travel is all about, isn’t it? The opportunity to discover yourself and experience the world by cutting your ties and jumping headlong into the unknown.

So, that’s exactly what I did. I dived into my new life and figured it out day by day; how to navigate the tube, orient myself around the capital, buy my own groceries and cook my own meals, prepare for exams, budget my time and money, and live 4,000 miles away from the only home I had ever known. Those first few months were some of the hardest in my 18 years, but I’ve learned more about myself than I can ever say. In between studying in the Heath, late nights out in Shoreditch, sunny brunches in Hackney and evening strolls along the Southbank, my sadness was replaced with confidence, the loneliness eradiated by an unshakable knowledge of my own capability. I was lonely because I was alone, but I am strong because I am alone, and that knowledge will stay with me for the rest of my days.