Hey everyone!

My time in Freiburg, Germany has come to an end but now I have a lot of free time to reflect and think about my abroad experience. Even though I'm back at home, I'll still be posting a little on my blog. This post is dedicated to the six apps that saved my life while I was abroad and will probably continue saving me in America too. 

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Okay, so I kind of stalled writing my last blog post because of the fact that I don't want to admit that my time in Germany has come to an end. But, now is the time where I reflect on how it feels to be home after a whirlwind experience on the other side of the world. 

While my physical body may be back in California, my head and my heart are still back in Tokyo. (Especially my head, jet lag has made it extremely difficult to re-adjust to a normal sleep schedule on Pacific time).

While there is still so much more I want to see and do in Japan, I am happy with the choices I made and the things I did while I was studying abroad this past term. I may not have done all the things I put on my original bucket list (let’s be real, it was definitely a little ambitious), but I have no regrets looking back.

After being back home for a little more than week it almost feels as though I never left. I’ve spent a lot of time hanging out with my cats and made some plans with friends I haven’t seen in a while. Everything is more or less like I remember it. I’ve heard that integrating back into your home country can be hard, but personally I’m not feeling much of a culture shock. This is probably in part due the structure of this particular program.

When I went to the Galapagos Islands, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was thinking it’d be a little like my trip to the Amazon rainforest three weeks before, where my group and I were living in small wooden structures with limited access to electricity. Our free time was largely spent in nature; we went for hikes, swam in the nearby river (a tributary to the Amazon river), and climbed up to the canopy, where we could see the entire forest laid out below us. I was expecting my time in the Galapagos to be similar.

Milan offers marvelous opportunities for students of business or global affairs; since Milan is one of Europe’s  largest cosmopolitan hubs, it is a prime location for these disciplines.  But living in Milan as a musician has felt almost otherworldly.  As a student of classical music, I have been given opportunities to hone my art here in Milan that I could only dream of receiving in other places.

As long as I can remember, I have never wanted to look like a tourist.  In the past I have been embarrassed to be seen going to important monuments or museums, though I deeply wanted to see them.  But a large part of me wants, more than that, to blend in with my surroundings.  I yearn to be spoken to in the language of the country I’m in, even if I don’t speak that language, because I want to pass the test of looking like a local.

Wow, today must’ve been the last dinner that started at 9 in the evening! Honestly, who came up with the concept for the restaurants to open so late?? First of all, I am usually starving by the time my food arrives, and second of all, what has happened to the “don’t eat after six” rule? Of course, I am just pretending to be mad. I will miss those late dinners. So Spanish, so laid-back, no rush, 500 tapas, drinks, fresh bread with every meal... But that’s not even the point. I am leaving Barcelona in a day! 

¡Buenas amigos! In a few days, I’ll be leaving Granada and flying back home to California. I’ve been experiencing a mix of bittersweet emotions: I’m so excited to be coming home to my family and friends, but so sad to be leaving this amazing city and the people that I’ve called home for these past months. More than anything, I feel an immense gratitude to have had this opportunity to grow, learn, and explore in a city as incredible as Granada.

In initially considering studying abroad, I was drawn to the semester-long programs as compared to the two week or month-long programs my school offered.  I loved the idea of getting a more in-depth look into a culture and a worldview.  In preparing for four months away from home, however, I was constantly weighing the pros and cons of the upcoming experience.

Could I find my way in a new area with new people, some who did not even speak English?  Was I actually cut out for this?