While I'd hate to burst your bubble...

I recently read an article detailing the necessity of American college students to break out of their comfort zone when studying abroad in foreign countries. It described how most students have a tendency to group together with their American counterparts and create comfortable "bubbles" within an unfamiliar place. While offering a unique sense of security and relief within an otherwise seemingly unwelcoming environment, these tendencies effectively hinder the student's likelihood of gaining the appropriate insight and experiences that are characteristic of learning to adapt to a new country. The article also touches on how technology has been serving as a recent pillar to the problem, as services like Facebook and Skype allow us to stay connected to our friends and family while half way across the world. This connection helps alleviate the sense of isolation that is typical of such an experience. Unfortunately, it's that very sense of isolation that often forces students to dive into unfamiliar situations and cultures. When paired with a clique of familiar people, these connections effectively lessen the experience of adapting to a new, foreign country to that of going to a new college in a different state. While it is important to have a few comfortable friends to share unique experiences with, it's important not to allow these familiarities from preventing you from having those experiences in the first place.