I’ll be honest: I didn’t really have a lot of fears the moments leading up to my departure for Zurich, Switzerland. Perhaps it was due to my international background or the fact that I approach situations in an unconventional manner – I’m really not too sure.

Large changes such as these breed immense opportunities for personal growth whereby one confronts challenges that ask of you to evaluate the priorities you’ve set for yourself in life. So as I packed my vacuum-sealed bags full of warm sweaters and thick socks, the most prominent emotion I felt was a yearning for this growth and the excitement of new experiences. Did I realize that I’d be away from my parents and my friends and my dog for a long time? Yes. But I believe that allowing homesickness to plant a seed inside you results in it consuming you, thereby affecting the beginning portion of your program in such a way that holds you back from the full immersion into the new life.