I am blessed

June 27

I have been back in the United State for almost a week now and when people ask me about Europe I cannot put into words the amazing experience I had.

I am so blessed to have this international experience. I think it helped me grow up and learn alot about my future goals. As corny as it sounds…its seriously true!

TRAVELING IS HARD! Sprinting for trains, trying to communicate in a foreign language, figuring out subway systems, booking hostels, paying with foreign currency, avoiding gypsies, reading maps, trying to find places, getting ‘unlost’, living out of a suitcase, not talking to friends and family at home, walking everywhere…its much HARDER than I expected.

I won’t lie and say I loved every minute of it…I had my moments when I thought “put me on a plane and send me home!” But thats ironically one of the best parts about traveling: the challenges. I had no other choice but to figure it out. When I arrived in Paris on a night train from Prague at 6am with pink eye in both eyes and a cell phone that did not work, I had to figure out how to get to the hotel on the other end of the city. I walked down into the metro station and saw the crazy map with 60+ lines (much different than the 3 lines I had been using in Prague). I wanted to sit down and have someone tell me what to do but thats not an option. I found an internet cafe, translated some expressions into French, took my translations to a pharmacy, and got medicine for my pink eye. Then, I went down into the metro station and sat for 30 minutes deciphering the map. When I arrived at the hotel I felt like a million bucks! There is no feeling that can compare to the fulfillmentI had from overcoming a challenge in a foreign county.

So although traveling is hard…IT IS WORTH IT!
I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to study abroad and travel. I learned so much about other cultures and I think being well cultured is extremely useful if not mandatory in the modern world. I met so many people from almost every continent and it made me re-evaluate some of my values. How many people can say they saw the castle that Walt Disney is based on? Climbed Mount Grappa? Walked the same steps of Gladiators in the Colosseum? Stayed for 20 Euros a night in the beautfiul Italian Rivera? Jumped onto a train one second before it took off? Sat at a table with 6 people from 6 different countries? Saw a concentration camp? Saw Michelangelo’s masterpieces? Encountered multiple languages? Dipped their feet into a Venice canal? Tried at least 20 flavors of gelato? Saw the oldest bridge? ….I don’t think many 20 year-olds can say they experienced the things I have experienced in the past 6 weeks. I am so blessed to have had this opportunity and I would definitely encourage all college students to study abroad. I know the applications and time commitment may seem like a hassle, but nothing can compare to the wonderful experiences that foreign countries have to offer. I definitely plan on returning to Europe and my travels sparked my interest for foreign cultures. Overall, it was a great experience that challenged me and helped me grow.