2016 was probably one of the major turning points in my life; that’s when I went to France for my Erasmus. You probably know what I mean if you’ve been there and done that. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, Erasmus is a European Union student exchange programme that was established in the 1980s.  I can assure you that this is way more beyond education and cultural exchange. It only took a semester abroad to change my life. Here are 7 personal life lessons I learned during that semester.

1. I understood what compromise really means like never before

It took me less than 3 weeks to come to this realization. I’ve always believed in compromise, but I had to leave home for a few months to fully comprehend and experience it. I understood that my choice meant that I’ll have to accept the fact that I’m going to miss really important events back in Egypt. But after all, life is all about making choices.

2. I realized that I’m stronger than I thought I was

As a kid, I’ve always had a leading character and as I grew up, I carried that strong independent woman persona along the way. This didn’t change the fact that before I went to France, I was scared to death. I was literally freaking out about everything even though I was dying for that opportunity. I wasn’t so sure if I was going to be able to take care of everything and manage the whole thing. Then, I surprised myself; I proved myself wrong. This was when I realized that I changed from a tough girl into a tougher one.

3. You won’t always find an answer

The universe has its own mysterious ways of making things work. One day you might find yourself floating on cloud 9 and then the other, you hit rock bottom. And the funny part is that you won’t always know why. We’ve always been told that everything happens for a reason, but we only believe it because we find out what the reason is at some point. It’s when we couldn’t find an answer we keep going around in endless circles.

Everything and everyone is a piece of a puzzle, but what I’ve come to realize is that sometimes we might be a piece in someone else’s puzzle. That’s why we might never find an answer, because we were only there to change something in someone else’s life, not ours.

4. It taught me that change is inevitable

The person who left in September 2016 isn’t the same one who came back in January 2017. She’s not the same person now and she won’t be the same person next year. I didn’t have the same mindset, I didn’t like the same things, and I won’t react to certain things the same way as I would’ve reacted two years ago. Same goes for everyone that once was or is still part of my life; let it be a friend or a family member. Nothing stays the same and nobody does either. I’m now a person who’s more open to change since it cannot be avoided anyway; I now embrace change rather than denying it.

5. My perception of home changed

I didn’t think I would be homesick to a worrying level, but I was immensely attached to my hometown. After my Erasmus, this all changed. I made a home out of a small room in a different country. I found family members that now live in different time zones. I fueled my passion for traveling and exploration. This made me believe into something new; something that I never believed in before, that home is where the heart is.

6. I accepted the fact that life goes on

I had a hard time getting over certain things, but thanks to Erasmus, I can now let go. I came to peace with the fact that nothing lasts forever. Even if it’s the best time I’ve ever had in my entire life. At some point, it will come to an end because time flies and our lives don’t stop there. We have to move on and we need to learn how to let go. We need to believe that better things and better times will make their way through.

7. Traveling is the cure for everything

I’ve always loved the idea of traveling, but in this particular phase in my life, I found it as a cure for everything. It showed me a different side of the world, different sides of people and definitely a different side of myself. It showed me that the world is better than any classroom, and that’s where we truly learn, heal, and grow.

Have you ever been on Erasmus? If you did, tell me more about your own experience in the comments’ section below.

P.S: Erasmus was the second trigger that made me start Curls en Route. If you’ve made it this far, check out The Story of How My Travel Addiction Started.

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