Adaptation is kind of a funny concept. When I arrived in Cambridge 38 days ago, I had a feeling that my study abroad semester would go something like this: Leave USA, go to this “foreign” country for a few months, return to USA and life goes on completely as usual. I had in mind that Cambridge was just going to be a few months vacation. 38 days in, and with 72 days to go, I can already say this isn’t the case at all… Cambridge is starting to feel just like home.
I’m not sure exactly when or how it happened, but life here seems incredibly normal. From the outside looking in, it may seem a little absurd, considering I live and go to class in a house with fifteen other people, have to cook for myself (a big feat when it comes to myself), and am jet-setting all over Europe on the weekends. Normal to everyone? Not at all. Normal to me? Absolutely.
One of the main reasons I chose to study abroad, and quite possibly for other students as well, is the challenge that it offers you. My life has always been incredibly comfortable (not that it’s a bad thing), but my sense of adventure was asking for something a little more. I have learned to change and adapt to the setting around me, and I’m loving every minute of it.
In 72 days, which I’m sure will fly by, I’ll find that once again, I’ll be adapting. This time it will be into the life that I already know and love, in the U.S. Although I know I will probably never live in Cambridge again, I will always carry a piece of my Cambridge lifestyle with me.
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