I remember my arrival in Tokyo well — the excitement, the wonder, the painful twisting of my gut when I looked down at my ticket and realized I was already lost. I arrived at Narita International Airport, but my connecting flight to Osaka would be leaving from Haneda. With a meager 20 minutes to get to my next flight and no working knowledge of the Japanese transportation system, I was immediately thrown into my first foreign adventure.

Long story short, I made my way to my destination through a series of confusing phone calls while fumbling awkwardly with the Japanese language. Admittedly, the whole situation was a little scary, but I was impressed with how much I learned about being self-sufficient within my first few hours in a foreign country

Unlike other students who plan things ahead and pair up, when I applied to study abroad, I did so alone. I had hurled myself into this new environment, with no one to rely on but myself. Blindly navigating my way to Osaka from Tokyo was only the first of several trials to come.

The eight months I spent in Japan were eight months of self-improvement and self-awakening. Japan changed my life and despite its incredible distance from my small town of Advance, N.C., I came to feel like I had a second home there.

I have trouble not feeling disappointed when I hear a fellow student is passing up a chance for studying abroad. Sure, there will be plenty of time to vacation in exotic places after college, but the opportunity to actually live and become immersed within a foreign country’s culture for an extended period of time rarely presents itself after the academic years.

There are a lot of benefits that come out of studying abroad. Personally, it helped me develop a greater sense of independence and global awareness. Of course, I learned some practical things too: how to budget, how to navigate subways, and how to speak Japanese at a conversational level.

New environments can be scary — even stressful — and I will not sugar coat it and say that there will be someone holding your hand throughout the process. There isn’t.

I don’t intend to turn anybody from studying abroad by saying these things, but there are some big steps to take before you get to the fun part.

I think the most important part of studying abroad is the growing experience it will give you.

For me, these experiences ranged from meditating in an actual Buddhist meditation hall to being the only foreigner among a group of non-English speaking Japanese friends.

Even the fact that I’m writing this can serve as testament to how studying abroad can impact a person’s life. While I’ve always had an interest in writing and journalism, it wasn’t until I joined the journalism club in Japan that I began to exercise my creativity. In doing so, I ended up placing third in the Swadesh Deroy Journalist’s Scholarship, and got a chance to fly back to Tokyo to meet with the members of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan.

My experiences in Japan ranged from wonderful to strange. One day I could be scouting out the view from Tokyo tower. One day I might find myself enjoying a picnic on the grounds of a nearby temple for the Japanese flower viewing festival. Another day I might be joining someone for a drink at Shinsaibashi’s “cat café,” a coffee shop where you pay by the hour to sit in a room full of felines.

I encourage everyone considering studying abroad to give it a try. I understand not everyone’s schedule can allow for it because the application process alone is a lot of work, but those that do choose to go will definitely benefit.

There are so many unforgettable experiences that can come out of living in a foreign country, and I imagine every country is a unique experience.

Just one word of warning: wherever you go, try not to fall in love with your country’s food. Finding octopus legs has been pretty hard ever since I’ve returned.