How I moved ✈ to another country 🌍 to study ...

You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. - Steve Jobs

Looking back at my life experiences this quote relates so deeply with me. I was 18 when I moved to another country to study and a year before that actually happened it was only an idea - an image in my mind so vivid that I could actually feel it. I always felt that travel, learning from experiences and giving back will always be part of my life.

It all started with volunteering in high school, helping the community by finding innovative solutions to current challenges and also taking part in a summer adventure camp.

I wanted to study abroad, but had no idea how to do it, especially when I didn't had an income. But if you really want something in life, you will make it happen. That's one of the valuable lessons I've learnt. In short, I met this passionate and lovey person by accident at a book fair, he was promoting courses for a university in UK and what actually attracted me to the stand in the first place, was a poster of someone abseiling. Having done that myself during the summer camp, I thought that I will find a book about this subject. I was surprised to find out that the poster was actually for a course BA (Hons) Adventure Tourism Management. I was so excited! But then I kept asking myself, where would I find the money?

I wasn't going to give up that easily and started contacting some of my close friends and also people that I worked with. I still can't remember how I found out about this company that was giving loans to students in their final year to help them finish their course. Nothing related with what I wanted to do, but if you don't ask you don't get.

I still remember how I carefully planned that excel spreadsheet to show them how I'm going to use the money and also how I'm going to pay them back. After the initial meeting, they agreed to give me the loan and a few months later I was on a plane to UK.

I was so excited and was really looking forward to my adventure.

to be continued ...

PS: the amazing guy that I met at the book fair recently passed away and I wanted to share my deepest appreciation, as he was the person that changed my life completely. Without his help and support I wouldn't be where I am today.

Not only that he had a kind and loving soul, he was always there to help and support all international students. Over the years we became good friends and it was always a pleasure to listen to his travel stories. We talked about all the amazing places he's seen and the people he met along the way. He will be forever in my hear.

Love & Light,
Joanna

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