Choosing to study abroad.

In college I was reading a book called Major in Success by Patrick Combs. About how to make the most of college.

There was one chapter, it talked about study abroad. So I went to the director of my dorm and asked where the study abroad office was.

When I got to the study abroad office, the coordinator asked where I wanted to go.

"Well, where can I go?"

"You can go anywhere in the world!" he said, sweeping his hands wide.

I was overwhelmed by the options.

He saw that and kindly asked, "What's your major, son?"

"English Creative Writing."

"Aha!" He turned around, pulled out a colorful brochure and pushed it into my hands. "You're going to England, and you're going to study creative writing at the University of East Anglia!"

My college had a "sister school" relationship with UEA, so there was a much more streamlined process for transferring my financial aid over to that school, and academic credits from there to transfer back to my home school. Without that, it would have been a lot harder.

I figured I'd get to travel a bit, make some new friends from other countries and have stories to tell.

What happened was it ignited a passion for travel that's been going for 10+ years. Backpacked through Europe, worked in China and Taiwan, saw much of Southeast Asia and Japan. There are still big parts of the world to see.

The downside is it "derailed" me for years, ha ha. Before traveling, I was more sure of what I wanted, what path I wanted.

Seeing more of the world and meeting people who were doing all kinds of things expanded the universe of possibilities. Kinda like how I felt back in the study abroad office, only worse. Overwhelmed by the possibilities made it hard to choose.

Took a couple years to get back on track.