Having experience in travel has allowed me to learn to make the best out of any situation and adapt to any obstacles that may arise. On my study abroad as well as other international travel experiences, I have had to navigate everyday life in differing cultures and languages than what I am used to in the United States. Such interactions ranged from everyday conversations like ordering a coffee or reserving a table, to more intense matters such as solving my lost luggage problem in Zurich, Switzerland.

     I found that when keeping a level head in more stressful scenarios, the outcome tends to be more favorable than if I had allowed the negative externalities to dictate the situation. Language barriers are not impossible to overcome, and if approached with the intent of politeness and deference to those in the culture that differs from mine, common ground is not difficult to reach. I found this to be true even if both parties have to resort to non-verbal methods to get the message across.

     When it came to my lost luggage problem, I made sure to maintain regular communication with the airline and the baggage tracking company to make sure I would receive what I needed at the following destination. For about four days, I simply borrowed whatever I needed from my roommate, and everything turned out fine. A stressful situation like that handled poorly would have been a less than auspicious start to my study abroad, but because I remained calm and those around me were flexible and understanding to my situation, everything turned out fine and my study abroad was a blast. Whenever situations beyond my control rise again in the future, I will be reminded of the various events in my life where I approached them calmly and with a mindset of adaptability.