I am officially leaving for London in less than three weeks. After months of questioning whether study abroad is actually happening, and years of anticipating this semester, it feels surreal to think about how close I am now. Like everyone else, I’ve spent hours fantasizing about the places I want to explore in London and the people I hope to meet. I’m the kind of person who thrives off of being in a city, so it’s hard to contain the excitement I have about moving to London for the whole semester.

Wow—it feels so weird writing my blog from the States rather than in Spain or elsewhere in Europe. It’s odd and surreal that I’m not waking up and beginning my day in Barcelona. I feel really lucky though because I got to spend an extra week in Barcelona after the program ended. My sister came to visit, and we spent Christmas together. During the extra week, I got to visit Christmas markets, various museums, as well as Zaragoza.

There was Emily in Paris and there’s about to be Brooke in Siena, and I will be the first to tell you that real life requires a lot more paperwork. These past few weeks have been dominated by early preparations for study abroad: applying for a visa, determining housing, and registering for classes.

I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to write for my last blog post. I feel like I’ve learned so much these past few months and met so many great people. I’ve been back in the states for a couple of weeks now and when everyone asks me how my time was abroad it feels wrong to just say “It was amazing!” and maybe elaborate on a few bits because that truly is the biggest understatement.

Doing extracurricular activities outside of school—whether it’s community service, clubs, or sports—has been something I’ve done for as long as I can remember. Not only can extracurriculars introduce you to new people, but they can expose you to new causes, lifestyles, and challenges. Together, these things can result in a rewarding experience that leaves you feeling more well-rounded and proud of yourself. 

It’s been a full three weeks since my program in Ecuador ended and I’m officially back in snowy Minnesota. The Christmas lights are hung up along the streets, the cold air has resumed its favorite hobby of biting my fingertips, and I have rediscovered my closet of warm, winter sweaters.

Continued... 

This break was much anticipated, even though finishing midterms week would mean the program was already halfway through…and my semester abroad come to a close. Sadly, I’m currently writing this blog post from my return train from Nantes to Paris. This very keystroke was typed as my OuiGo 7622 train left from Gare de Nantes at 11h40. 

Goodbyes are never easy—especially when you bid farewell to the place where you called home for the past few months. 

“Tell me about Spain!” says everyone at home.

I have not figured out how to answer this, and it’s how I feel right now as I am writing this reflection, filled to the brim with thoughts, experiences, and gratitude for the amazing people I’ve met, and not sure how to put them into around 500 coherent words. I can’t believe an actual four months just went by, and that an experience I had been dreaming of for so long is now over.