1st Solo Travel of Semester

By:

Adriana Zazueta

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Adriana Zazueta

<i>Home Institution</i>: California State University, Long Beach <i>Expected Graduation Year</i>: 2024 <i>Academic Major / Minor</i>: Public Health Education <i>Destination</i>: Coventry, UK <i>"Hello" in your host country's language</i>: Hello <i>Demographics</i>: Hispanic/Latinx, First-Generation College Student, Transfer Student <i>Future Career Goals</i>: My career goals includes working as a public health administrator. I want to have an impact on communities and improve health-outcomes. I would like to have a closer relation with vulnerable populations such as low-income communities and engage in global health matters. I have interest in planning events within these communities and providing resources to individuals as well as educating public health. <i>Top Three Study Abroad Goals</i>: One of my goals while studying abroad includes networking and getting first-hand perspective of a public health organization in Europe by attending one of their programs for the community; Another goal I have is to visit Germany, and expand my exposure to different cultures; Lastly I hope to improve my leadership skills and gain more confidence in my abilities.

This past weekend I took my first solo trip to Edinburgh Scotland. I planned this trip a month prior and ensured all the details were mapped out. The reason for this destination was to attend Terminal V. This two-day festival included my favorite artists and is one of Scotland’s biggest electronic music acts with unique outdoor and indoor stages. Terminal V is known for its variety of techno and house music. As a festival go-er myself in the States I thought it’d be a great opportunity to experience an event out here. I managed to secure a one-day ticket to the event and a hostel to stay at nearby. This was also my first time staying at a hostel alone.

Arriving in Edinburgh I was taken away by the beauty and historical buildings left and right. I took a bus from the airport to the center of the city which is where my stay was located. The weather was perfect that weekend with great sun Friday through Sunday. I walked around the city and grabbed some lunch. The food portions were a fairly large and decent price. Considering I went on a bank holiday the streets were filled with people enjoying the day out. I socialized once arriving at my hostel and made a great group of solo travelers. We made plans to spend the rest of the day city seeing the city together and grabbing dinner. We were able to secure a free walking tour around the city center and learn the history behind the buildings.

On the day of the festival, I felt very confident in going alone and making the best of the event. I was very prepared and dressed comfortably, I had my portable charger and other essentials. I was fortunate enough to randomly meet a good group of locals while waiting in line for toilets. I was with them the rest of the night before I decided to leave a bit early and get some rest. Overall the event was great, the crowd was very different from the States and I enjoyed the different cultures. I left the event very fortunate to experience my favorite artist playing in a different atmosphere and hear different versions of music in different regions. It was an overall great experience and made me feel very confident in my abilities to take care of myself and be alone.

I feel being alone is often persuaded as a sad or bad thing. I use to be very self-conscious about being alone and now I have rooted so much pride in my ability to do things by myself. I have learned to change my perspective and see it as brave and smart. This trip went so smoothly, I made great friends from all sorts of different places and got to each destination safely and promptly. Overall I feel while my study abroad journey is slowly coming to an end I can truly see the impact it has had on my abilities and self-consciousness.