Six months. That’s all the time I have in England. And somehow, I’m already halfway through it.
At 19, I left my family and packed my whole life into a suitcase. At first, I was scared. I didn’t know anyone, I didn’t know how the train stations worked, and I didn’t even know how to make a proper cup of tea. Everything felt unfamiliar, and I felt small in a place that seemed so big.
But I stayed. And little by little, I started figuring things out. Being away from everyone who has always known you forces you to meet yourself — honestly. I’ve learned how to be alone without feeling lost, and I’ve learned how to sit with my thoughts instead of running from them. I’m beginning to see who I am without the safety net of familiarity.
Lately, I’ve fallen in love with hiking. Just walking for hours, letting the wind hit my face, clearing my mind. I’ll grab something to eat, put my headphones on, and listen to Frank Sinatra, moving through my own small world. In those moments, I don’t feel foreign or out of place. I feel steady, I feel strong, I feel at home.
I never imagined I would be halfway across the world, building a life that once felt impossible. If you had told me growing up that this is where I’d end up, I would have laughed and said you were crazy. Back then, the world felt small and predictable; now it feels wide, and somehow, I’ve found my place in it.
My mom tells me she can picture me staying here, making a life that keeps unfolding in ways I never planned. When she says it, there’s a softness in her voice — like she already knows. And deep down, I know it, too. England doesn’t feel temporary anymore. It doesn’t feel like an experience that will end and be packed away. It feels like somewhere my heart chose quietly, before I even realized it had.
If I were to give someone advice, I would tell them to go alone. Truly alone. If someone doesn’t want to come with you, let them stay. Don’t shrink your plans because someone else is unsure. There is something life-changing about choosing yourself when no one else is standing beside you. You can’t hide behind anyone; you figure things out, make mistakes, and grow in ways you never would if you were leaning on someone else.
It’s scary at first. You’ll question yourself; you’ll wonder if you made the wrong decision. But on the other side of that fear is confidence that no one can give you — instead, you earn it. You start trusting your own voice. You realize you don’t need permission to chase what feels right.
Going alone doesn’t mean you won’t feel lonely; it means you’re brave enough to build something, anyway. And one day, you’ll look back and see that the moment you chose to go by yourself was the moment you truly met who you are.
Soon, I’ll turn 20, and my teenage years will quietly come to an end. It feels strange how quickly it all passed. But if this chapter had to close, I can’t imagine a better way for it to end than here, chasing something I once only dreamed about.
I didn’t just grow older here; I grew into myself. I learned what it means to be brave, to be alone, to choose my own path even when it scared me. Ending my teenage years in a place that once felt so far away feels meaningful — like stepping into adulthood on my own terms.
And if there are many versions of this life waiting somewhere out there, I hope every single one of them finds its way back to England.
This blog was contributed by Dayanara Pacheco, Global Ambassador for Spring 2026. Dayanara is a College of Education junior participating in an exchange program at the University of Exeter in Exeter, England.
