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Expect the unexpected. Start journeys. Take risks.

Not too long ago, I had my first experience with the modern-day version of treasure hunting known as “Geocaching”.

Simply put, geocaching is the act of hiding an object – known as a “cache” – and providing the coordinates of the cache to allow others to find it. The “hunters” of the cache retrieve the coordinates, punch them into their phone, and are directed to its location with a virtual compass. Once the cache is found, they write their name in its logbook, and sometimes trade their own “treasures” with those already hidden inside.

With over 2 million caches hidden worldwide, and so many stunning places to explore, you can see why I was immediately intrigued.

About a week ago, I was searching for a cache in the woods in Green Bay, trying not to have my flesh reduced to a collage of poison ivy rashes and mosquito bites, when it occurred to me:

Studying abroad is a lot like geocaching.

Reason #1: Everyone goes in with expectations.

When searching for a cache, one often finds that it is not at all like you thought it would be. It could be a different shape or size, it could be much easier or more difficult to find than you anticipated, or it might be hidden somewhere you wouldn’t normally go.

Studying abroad is the same way. I went to Cadiz with all kinds of expectations of how life there would be. I had heard that Spain was a wondrous place full of flamenco dancers and bullfighters, red wines and spanish rice. But no one could have conveyed to me the personality of my tiny andalucian town. The intimacy you have with your neighbors, simply because you can’t help but eavesdrop on their energetic conversation surging through your window. That warm little pick-me-up you get from everyone greeting you like a pageant queen, calling you beautiful and kissing your cheeks. Or the entire town filtering in and out of your home to barter with your host mom in her clothing store, while you walk down the hall in a towel. But that’s Cadiz.

Reason #2: It is not the destination, but the journey.

One of my favorite things about geocaching is that it takes you on the road less travelled. You’d better be ready for some adventure, because you may find yourself anywhere from lying under a gum-infested park bench, to crouching behind a rushing waterfall to get your next find.

I found this to be consistently true during my time abroad as well.

One time in particular, I found myself sprinting through an entire train station in Rome, with a backpack spilling out my belongings – and my pride – as I desperately tried to catch my train. I had just finished the four day trip I had taken with an old friend of mine, and was making my way back to Cadiz. Although I had enjoyed Rome, I found it a bit over-rated, and was ready to be back in Spain.

However, it was apparent that my trip was long from over after I missed my train to the airport, barely managed to snag a taxi, was forced to board and then get off a plane that was declared “broken”, and then missed my second train back to Cadiz.

It goes without saying that the entire experience was stressful.

But my favorite memories of that trip were not the pictures I took in front of the Colosseum, or the pasta we ate. When I think about my trip to Rome, it’s the memory of the American family that gave me a ride to the station when they thought I would miss the train, that I remember. Or an acquaintance I found in the station that played card games with me the whole way home. It’s the journey that matters.

Reason #3: It teaches you about yourself and your character.

Geocaching takes a lot of determination. From the moment you take that first step, you know it’s all or nothing: either you are going to continue searching for that cache, through buggy woods and muddy trails, through grimy public restrooms and behind taco bell dumpsters, or you just aren’t going to find it. Period.

Studying abroad is no different. The moment you step on that plane, and the doors are sealed off behind you, you know there’s no going back. You’re in this for the long haul: through the good, the bad, and everything in between.

You find what you’re not looking for.

You discover yourself. You may realize that you love finding new places, but maybe not new foods.

That you like having friends around to lean on, but that you’re strong enough to make it on your own. That regardless of your surroundings, you are the only thing consistent about your experiences, and YOU have the power to make the most of them.

API’s motto is “Learning transformed, life transforming”.

My learning was transformed in the sense that every moment of my life abroad was an experience, a lesson that could never be transcribed well enough into a classroom setting. I couldn’t ever fully appreciate the intricate explosion of detail on the walls of the Alhambra without having my face two inches away from it. Or the frost-covered mountains of the Swiss Alps without skiing them myself.

These experiences have been life transforming, and they will be for years to come. The only thing constant in life is change, but going abroad has taught me how to roll with it.

Expect the unexpected. Start journeys. Take risks.

Because in searching for the world, you will find yourself.

Julie Pleshe studied abroad with API in Cádiz, Spain and is currently serving as an API Peer Mentor at University of Wisconsin- La Crosse.