Micheal Kyriakoudes | Spring 2024
Study abroad experiences are packed full of new experiences and busy days. While this is exciting and fun, memories and details of trips or even day-to-day life can often get lost. Going into my program, I wanted to find a way to be mindful about remembering my time abroad. To solve this, I decided to start a reflection journal. I’ve found that taking time to reflect on my day and jot down what I did, what I saw, and how I felt has helped my memories stay fresh. In addition to my personal 
experience, studies have proven that journaling is a useful tool to increase memory retention.
Besides just improving my memory of these moments, I am hoping my journal will be a unique souvenir from my time abroad. Hopefully, in 10 years I can go back, read through my passages, and be reminded of the details of my program. Even already, I have used my journal to remind myself what I was doing a few weeks ago, which shows how quickly the memories can fade. I treat it almost as a narrative of my time in Germany, including anything that I would want to remember.
In my journal, I try to focus on details of my day, especially little moments that could be easy to forget in weeks to come. I enjoy describing the scenery around me, funny instances, and the people I’m with. Focusing on these moments and how I felt during them helps jog my memory later as opposed to just listing what I did throughout the day. This being said, if you decide to give journaling a try either at home or abroad, make it your own. Having time to freely write about anything you want without setting parameters or restrictions will make the journal much more meaningful.
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