Photos act as snapshots of our travels and journeys abroad, but have you ever stopped to consider how these snapshots are taken as they unfold? Videos and photos act as our eyes and ears into that moment in time, but have you ever stopped to consider how these moments are unfolding in front of us? Taking in the moment can be exceedingly difficult, as that moment leaves us while we take it in. We try to preserve that moment through our phone use; we look at technology to preserve what we cannot relive, and in this we face a dilemma. How can we take it in the moment while also preserving it? Studying abroad has helped me confront these issues and better comprehend how to be present in the moment while it slips into a memory. This essay captures that challenge while offering alternative navigation. 

During my time abroad, I realized that the configuration of students, friends, and strangers will never be the same again. The number and configuration in a room will never be captured again. While on my member states trip, I found myself reminiscing about the moment that was happening in person in front of me. Hanging out with my friends at a pool table and taking group photos was so beautiful but, at the same time, saddening as those moments were slipping away. I felt nostalgic about something that is actively happening, and it has me thinking about how we preserve these moments. Yet, I also thought deeply about the way we preserve things, and it made me think about how we can preserve these moments while also experiencing them, and what I can do to make those moments feel real. 

Being Present in the Moment 

The challenging aspect of being present while capturing the moment is something all students abroad will experience at some point. An IES Abroad Freiburg Center event, a group function at a social gathering in town, a trip together with friends. These events make those bonds with friends stronger, and that moment begins to slip as they unfold. Yet that realization helped me come to terms that I needed to be more present in those moments, and the need to be present strengthened as I learned to appreciate the beauty of those gatherings with people. I began to soak in the moments as they were, and I learned to appreciate the laughs, shared stories, and games we had at the event. In those moments, the faces of the people around me, the aspects of their lives I learned while hanging out with them, and the memories unfolding with them became more connected to my experience abroad. That was the point where I realized it wasn’t about where we went or what we did, small experiences like walking back to the Hostel, getting on the wrong train or even something as basic as getting ice cream became key to my experience because of how those moments were spent and how those memories were cherished as they unfolded actively. The experiences abroad matter much more when they are remembered by you for what they were and not as they leave.  

Preserving those Moments 

Preserving those moments can be a challenge when we want to carry those memories with us into the future, but a couple of helpful insights that allow us to be present while preserving the moment will naturally occur. For example, group photos, occasionally when we all gather, the group photos will be offered randomly and more than likely it will happen to which we all create a new memory as we scramble to create a memory while running to find positions for the group photo. This example allows for memories to be created while also preserving them and gives everyone space to become a part of that moment. Other ways of preserving the memory come from the student Correspondents who are more than likely filming, taking group photos, or simply trying to gather people for a memory they can post about later. These students offer more alternative ways to capture that moment while still creating one. Regardless of how you go about preserving a memory, it is important that we capture these memories while also not getting so caught up in preserving them that we forget how to appreciate them as they pass by.