... I will still find it acceptable to finish my junior year blog. Technically, my senior year has not yet started.
I'm sitting here, on the couch of my apartment, thinking back on how my life has changed in the past year. I've visited an extensive list of places, some new, some return visits. The final country count:
I've met just absolutely wonderful friends. I've had amazing experiences, learned a lot, worked really hard, and I got a State Department badge. My passport, which was brand-new a year ago, now is half full with immigration desk stamps and visas. My Spanish skills improved unbelievably (let's hope they stuck; I have my first Spanish class since Spain tomorrow). I learned how much I can do on my own, even despite some language barriers. I twice had the experience of living in new places where I knew no one (or hardly no one. Thanks, Izzy.).
I think most importantly, I realized the essentials of going out and experiencing life. I am so happy to have recognized that the times I felt most homesick, or I wanted to curl up in a ball because things weren't as easy as they could have been, were the instances that I needed to leave the apartment or dorm and go experience the world around me. I think that mentality was one of the key reasons I had such a happy year. That said, it wasn't much of a stretch. I also had a happy year because of the flat-out amazing opportunities that were handed to me.
But of course, I can't focus solely on the past. Senior year starts up in a few short hours, and it's fairly strange for me. I'm happy to be back at Santa Clara (somehow, after this whole year, I still have friends! [joking]), but I am a little homesick, if you will, for Spain and Washington.
These four-plus months of summer vacation have been wonderful. I returned to California and got to spend some good time at home with my parents and Auburn friends. I visited Santa Clara and got to distract my friends while everybody was still taking classes. I was a bridesmaid in my friend Amanda's wedding, and I got to visit southern California twice. I've gotten to reunite with friends from both Salamanca and Washington. I spent a lot of time in the sunshine: hiking, swimming, and just relaxing. I got to see a lot of great music at the Outside Lands festival in Golden Gate Park. I moved into my senior-year apartment off campus (with a yearlong lease! such a long time to spend in one place!) with two great friends. And I had an internship with the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits.
It's been a busy summer, and now it's about to end. I'm so happy to have taken the opportunity this last evening of summer to think back on my junior year, and where it's left me. It's funny how I almost feel now like I did right before I went abroad: a little nervous, unsure of how I'll like this Santa Clara place with all of the students returned and classes started. Will I get bored with the familiarity of SCU life? But that sense of familiarity is a change for me, I suppose. I won't have to make an entirely new group of friends, nor will I have to worry about getting lost on any public transportation. But I will continue to have wonderful new opportunities and experiences - just not on the level of international travel. And when I start to really miss Spain or DC and want to look at old photos of all of my travels, I'll remember the amazing opportunities that I was given (and I won't be too jealous of this year's juniors who are abroad now), but I won't let the memories stop me from enjoying what I have now. After all, my "normal" life's not too shabby...
(Ugh, this sounds like a graduation speech.)
So, after all of this, I suppose this is the end of the travel blog. Thank you for reading this and for everyone who's had such nice things to say about this blog. Thank you for forgiving me for being lousy at communication during this past year. I tried (and generally failed), but I promise, I still really want to be your relative/friend/daughter (really, I do, Mom), no matter how far away I was or for how long I was gone. Thank you to everyone who gave me spending money and told me to just have the time of my life. I did. Thank you to all of the friends I made for sharing these experiences with me. I'm so happy to have found people everywhere I went who understand my sarcasm. And of course, thank you to my parents for supporting me throughout these new experiences. Thank you for all of your help and love and encouragement. (Remember how you didn't want me to go away to college in Boston, Mom? I showed you! teehee.)
(Cue the emotional closing music.)
It's 12:41 am, and I'm tired. I'm definitely not on Spanish time anymore. Buenas noches y hasta luego!
I'm sitting here, on the couch of my apartment, thinking back on how my life has changed in the past year. I've visited an extensive list of places, some new, some return visits. The final country count:
- Spain
- Portugal
- Italy
- Morocco
- UK
- USA (Mom was happy about that one)
- Cyprus
- Greece
- Turkey
I've met just absolutely wonderful friends. I've had amazing experiences, learned a lot, worked really hard, and I got a State Department badge. My passport, which was brand-new a year ago, now is half full with immigration desk stamps and visas. My Spanish skills improved unbelievably (let's hope they stuck; I have my first Spanish class since Spain tomorrow). I learned how much I can do on my own, even despite some language barriers. I twice had the experience of living in new places where I knew no one (or hardly no one. Thanks, Izzy.).
I think most importantly, I realized the essentials of going out and experiencing life. I am so happy to have recognized that the times I felt most homesick, or I wanted to curl up in a ball because things weren't as easy as they could have been, were the instances that I needed to leave the apartment or dorm and go experience the world around me. I think that mentality was one of the key reasons I had such a happy year. That said, it wasn't much of a stretch. I also had a happy year because of the flat-out amazing opportunities that were handed to me.
But of course, I can't focus solely on the past. Senior year starts up in a few short hours, and it's fairly strange for me. I'm happy to be back at Santa Clara (somehow, after this whole year, I still have friends! [joking]), but I am a little homesick, if you will, for Spain and Washington.
These four-plus months of summer vacation have been wonderful. I returned to California and got to spend some good time at home with my parents and Auburn friends. I visited Santa Clara and got to distract my friends while everybody was still taking classes. I was a bridesmaid in my friend Amanda's wedding, and I got to visit southern California twice. I've gotten to reunite with friends from both Salamanca and Washington. I spent a lot of time in the sunshine: hiking, swimming, and just relaxing. I got to see a lot of great music at the Outside Lands festival in Golden Gate Park. I moved into my senior-year apartment off campus (with a yearlong lease! such a long time to spend in one place!) with two great friends. And I had an internship with the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits.
It's been a busy summer, and now it's about to end. I'm so happy to have taken the opportunity this last evening of summer to think back on my junior year, and where it's left me. It's funny how I almost feel now like I did right before I went abroad: a little nervous, unsure of how I'll like this Santa Clara place with all of the students returned and classes started. Will I get bored with the familiarity of SCU life? But that sense of familiarity is a change for me, I suppose. I won't have to make an entirely new group of friends, nor will I have to worry about getting lost on any public transportation. But I will continue to have wonderful new opportunities and experiences - just not on the level of international travel. And when I start to really miss Spain or DC and want to look at old photos of all of my travels, I'll remember the amazing opportunities that I was given (and I won't be too jealous of this year's juniors who are abroad now), but I won't let the memories stop me from enjoying what I have now. After all, my "normal" life's not too shabby...
(Ugh, this sounds like a graduation speech.)
So, after all of this, I suppose this is the end of the travel blog. Thank you for reading this and for everyone who's had such nice things to say about this blog. Thank you for forgiving me for being lousy at communication during this past year. I tried (and generally failed), but I promise, I still really want to be your relative/friend/daughter (really, I do, Mom), no matter how far away I was or for how long I was gone. Thank you to everyone who gave me spending money and told me to just have the time of my life. I did. Thank you to all of the friends I made for sharing these experiences with me. I'm so happy to have found people everywhere I went who understand my sarcasm. And of course, thank you to my parents for supporting me throughout these new experiences. Thank you for all of your help and love and encouragement. (Remember how you didn't want me to go away to college in Boston, Mom? I showed you! teehee.)
(Cue the emotional closing music.)
It's 12:41 am, and I'm tired. I'm definitely not on Spanish time anymore. Buenas noches y hasta luego!
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| My submission to the study abroad company's photo contest |
What a great travel blog throughout the year! You did a wonderful job of capturing important moments of a life-changing experience. Now be sure to save a digital and paper copy so that you can refer back to it someday for your memoirs about the "early years"...
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