WHAT'S ONE STORY OR IMPORTANT ASPECT YOU ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE ABOUT YOUR TIME ABROAD?
I always tell people that abroad is not all sunshine and rainbows. Yes, it is an amazing time filled with so much growth, travel, new experiences, people, risk-taking, and tons and tons of self-expansion, however, there are times when it is not all great and that is OK. You are in a foreign country, you are living a day to day life, and those feelings and down times are just as much a part of the experience. Don't feel like you need to do something every single day, and don't feel ashamed of yourself if not every moment is "picture/insta perfect." Even though many of them might be :) Embrace it all!

HOW DID YOU ENGAGE WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY WHILE ABROAD?
While abroad, I aimed to stay off my phone! This allowed me to observe what was around me and engage with people. Whether on a train, in a new coffee shop, or sitting on a plane, I tried to make myself approachable so people would want to chat with me :) Sometimes this looked like writing postcards in a coffee shop so that I would converse with the table next to me about my travels, and sometimes this looked like striking up conversation with my plane buddy who would then give me travel tips for an upcoming trip! My goal was so talk and engage with as many people as I could...staying off my phone is one way I reached this goal.