Ava Geltinger from Virginia Tech, talks about her experience documenting her study abroad, she writes:
When I was planning my trip abroad, I was worried that the precious moments might slip away from me when I returned home. With my memory like that of a goldfish, I came up with a plan to make sure I remember all of the amazing experiences in Tasmania and North Queensland, Australia. By the end of the trip, I had no worries that I would forget anything from my trip of a lifetime.
One thing I did to capture the moment was bringing my childhood digital camera out of retirement. Everyone knows that the phones today take great pictures, but nothing beats the nostalgia and quality of an old digital camera. Taking pictures with the digital camera caused me to be more thoughtful with my photo taking. Throughout the trip, I carried this little camera with me wherever we went, and it ended up being the best decision. Don’t worry, I got plenty of iPhone pictures as well, but my digital camera pictures hold a special place in my heart.
Another thing I did to fully immerse myself in my trip was documenting on social media. I created an Instagram account dedicated to posting about my trip that my family and friends could follow along with. It became a creative outlet and digital scrapbook all in one. I made a post from each location we visited with pictures and descriptions of what we saw, and most importantly the food we ate. It was such a fun way to share the experience, and now I have this super cute collection of posts I can scroll through anytime and remember each part of the trip.
One last thing I did to make sure I remember every detail from my trip is that I journaled (mostly) every night before I went to bed. Doing this allowed me to write down not only what we saw and did but also document my thoughts and feelings. I carried a small notebook and pencil in my travel backpack that was easy to carry around. I am now grateful that I took the time to write down everything and I will be able to look back and relive my trip forever.
I will always be able to look back on the memories and friends I made during my time studying abroad in Australia and Tasmania, but nothing will compare to experiencing it in real time. If you are studying abroad in the future, make sure you have a plan in place to document your trip and make sure you soak in everything around you while you are there.
