My journey is finally coming to a close. 4 months ago I got off the plane in Florence and had no idea what to expect. I didn’t know where I would end up, who my roommates were, or how I was going to find my apartment. The world was my oyster, and I was equally scared and excited. I wish I could prepare others for their time abroad, but honestly everyone has a different experience. There’s no way to know what’s going to happen, and the only thing you can do is go with the flow and enjoy the ride. I’ve been playing back the whole semester in my head, and I am still in awe of the places I’ve been able to visit and people I’ve been able to meet.
If there’s a short way for me to sum up the most eventful 4 months of my life, it’d be endless late nights wandering cities around Europe with people I’d just met and countless early mornings heading towards trains and planes. It was seeing as much as I could in such a short period of time and trying to take in everything around me while speed walking through cities I’ve never been to. I wanted to go everywhere, see everything, take advantage of being a train ride away from the most historic cities in the world. I spent 2 weekends out of my 16 in Florence. I don’t regret that for one second. I was able to enjoy my home while I was there, but I didn’t come to Europe to stay in one place. I came to Europe with a list of 12 cities I wanted to see, and I can proudly say I hit 11 of those 12. Not one minute was wasted while I was here, and I wouldn’t change the way I did things if I were to do it all over again.
I’m walking away from this with a whole new outlook on life. There is so much to see around the world, and I am not even close to done traveling. At 20 years old, I was able to step foot in 12 countries and 21 cities in 120 days. I’ve dealt with cancelled flights, delayed trains, foreign airports, public transportation in 18 cities, and endless overnight bus rides. I’ve become an efficient packer, a flexible traveler, and spontaneous because of this experience. Life isn’t about waiting for the right timing or place, it’s about buying the ticket, getting on the train, and going. I don’t want to let anything pass me by because I was hesitant. In the words of my friends, sometimes you just have to pull the trigger.
Anyone who is considering studying abroad or traveling, go. Don’t think, just go. You have your whole life to live in America and travel the states. Opportunities like this don’t come around often, and living in a foreign country is a completely different experience than visiting. You will learn more about the world and yourself in those 4 months than all your years in school combined. You meet people you never would’ve chosen as friends, but they quickly become your best friends and travel buddies. The people you travel with make the experience. It’s not where you go but who you go with.
I’d like to thank my friends that I met over here for making these the best days of my life; I’m going to miss them all so much. We were together through the good the bad and the ugly, and we sure kept each others’ lives interesting. Sure I was changed by the cities I visited, the food I ate, and the experiences, but what really made it all was the people I was with. I don’t know if I’ll ever see any of them again, but even if I don’t, I’ll never forget the group that turned a normal night into a memorable one or stuck together through a 10 day trip around Europe. They were my family while being 5,000 miles away from home, and I’ll be forever thankful for that.
Its hard to believe it’s all over, and I’ve been here for 4 months. Not sure what it’ll be like not jetting off every weekend and hearing English all the time, but I’m ready to head home. I hope ISU is ready for my return, because I sure am.
