Studying Away From Home

            I leaned so many valuable lessons while attending a boarding school in Switzerland and while attending classes in the United States. I gained a vast amount of knowledge which I will be able to use for the rest of my life. There were many important issues that I had to learn to deal with and adjust to, such as living on my own, without the guidance and closeness of my relatives.

            I had been in the near range of my family for so long and I was very uncomfortable at first, as I had to adjust to living without them, nearby. Time did help me to deal with this matter and having other students who understood my situation and offered assurance and help, made this adjustment very smooth for me.

            Friendship is extremely important, especially when you are so far away from home and I will never forget the students and teachers who were closes by, whenever I needed them and they were never selfish or misleading. I could never thank these strangers, who became my friends, enough for the ways in which they demonstrated their understanding to me. For students who study away from home, having someone to befriend you is a gift that is more important and valuable than anything else they could offer.

            I also learned that some of these strangers also needed friends, and I was happy to be there for them.

            I will forever carry with me, the valuable information that I learned while living away from home. This information is something that remains with me each day and has made me what I am, today.

            I was so thankful for the many different people that I encountered, during my studying away from home. These people from different cultures treated me with friendship and respect and I will always appreciate this wonderful display of human kindness I received from strangers.

            While attending an international school, I had to adapt to many different personalities and also, I had to learn to accept the different ways of the people and it was fun to be a part of their world, as I adapted to these new ideas and things that I had never known, before. I never fully realized how very different people are. They eat different foods, play different games, and have various ideas about life and what is important to them in their lives.

            Since my parents, weren’t with me during this time spent away from home, I had to manage without them. I had to learn the value of money and how important it is to be careful with funds. I did learn and this lesson was also very important to me.

            By being away from home and attending boarding school, I learned many lessons about how to get along without my family, manage money and how to relate and live among others.

            I will always be thankful that I had the privilege of studying in a different area of the world, where I could learn various lessons about life. Studying away from home was an event that I will always hold close to my heart.