Back Down South... Thank God I'm in Tennessee!

I have loved traveling around Europe and expanding my comfort zone. My comfort zone is already pretty large, so it was nice to really push myself and travel alone to random places around Europe so that I could feel comfortable in relatively every situation. That's what this whole thing is all about. Getting out of your comfort zone. I bring this up, because getting out of your comfort zone will make coming home even better. When I first left for Europe, I thought to myself, hey I could maybe find somehwere to live while I am over here and then maybe move there once I am older. From all the traveling, there are only two cities that I could live: Dublin and Prague. That is it. And honestly, I would probably want to move back to the South after a few years anyway. There is something about the South. I'll say it, the Deep South is cooler than anywhere else. I realized this from traveling to so many different places. I had always taken the culture here for granted. It took me leaving it for a long time to realize just how great it is. The combination of people, food and music is unmatchable. 

So, overall I am glad I went and studied abroad to see all of these cool places and meet cool people. It really helped me to expand my mind. With that being said, it also opened my eyes to how awesome the South is, and Memphis in particular. I love where I am from. Most people go through the stage of kind of putting America down. I went through it. It is normal. However, mine lasted about one week... I began to realize just how great America really is when compared to the rest of the world. There are many pretty places on this Earth, but there is something about where I am from that is much better for me when I begin to think about where I want to actually live. There is a big difference between visiting and living. Remember that. You can go through your phase of "Europe is so much better" but trust me, you will quickly relaize why America is the greatest country in the planet. 

I'm glad to be home. I missed this type of people, food and music. Those three things are a big part of my life. I love Tennessee. I love the South and I definitely love the United States of America. So go out there to explore... and find yourself.

-Nathan