On February 3, 2017 I will be going out of my comfort zone and traveling halfway around the world to Dubrovnik, Croatia, where I will be studying abroad for about four months on my own. I have always known that I wanted to study abroad but I never knew where I wanted to go.

At the beginning of my junior year at Quinnipiac University I was researching all of the options I had without the slightest clue of which country I would. All I knew was that I wanted to study somewhere in the EU because I am a European citizen. I have been all over Western Europe and Germany, but have never traveled east of Germany, which is the country I have citizenship in. I started the process by looking at pictures of all of the places Quinnipiac had programs in and when I started looking into Croatia, I immediately fell in love. It is located between the western and eastern worlds, making it a perfect mix of different cultures. The beautiful country is filled with breathtaking views, lots of sun, fascinating history, charming architecture, great swimming and more. The university I will be studying at, Libertas International University, is located on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. I get to learn in small classes with other international students while enjoying the stunning view of the ocean. How lucky am I?

When people find out that I’m studying abroad in Croatia they always react the same way. “Why Croatia?”. I simply smile, pull up a picture of my future home and say, “Why not?”. Just looking through pictures usually is enough to explain why I chose Croatia as my destination. I usually further explain to them that I have always wanted to study abroad and I figured if I’m already doing something new, I might as well take an even bigger risk and study with a small group of people I have never met, because, why not?