Wow I can’t believe it’s here. My flight leaves in a few hours and I’m scrambling to pack. Typical. As I put things in my already overstuffed suitcases I am reminded of everything I’ve done this semester. Triggered by the masquerade mask I bought in Venice to the Belgian chocolate I brought home from Brussels. But it wasn’t just about traveling. Looking through my old papers I also remember I was here for school, no matter how much I complained that “the studying part is really getting in the way of study abroad.”
Overall I’m so grateful I had this opportunity. Though I may have missed home and my friends there, and especially the fast pace of New York City, it was pretty cozy to have classes in one old Georgian house. I was also able to take some classes purely for fun (well I still had to keep my grades up of course, but not having think of how they fulfill requirements and doing them just because the subject was something I was interested in was pretty freeing).
I think studying abroad makes you notice and see things in a new way. There are too many things you take for granted in your daily life. For example, I noticed how efficiently the tube runs in London, Paris, and many other European cities, and I
can now think of ways to improve the MTA. However, I also see how strikes affect an entire country. I can see that all these countries in Europe have centuries if not millennia of history and how this affects culture and issues in society today.
Sorry this is rambly. Honestly, my semester is impossible to put into words and I say that in the best way way possible.
Tales from Study Abroad 