Hello people of the internet! This post was going to be posted before I left the States. To make this more of a predepartor post, enjoy a photo of my cat helping me pack...

I’ve never been a particularly organized person. My daily schedule when I’m not working consists mainly of rushing between hastily planned commitments, arriving barely on time and a little out of breath. When I am working it’s even worse: I have just as many commitments (or, you know, assignments for school) but fewer hours left in which to do them.

I’m Xavaar, tomorrow I’ll be starting what would be my junior year at the University of Washington by studying in Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands. Yes, my name is very unique, no it doesn’t mean anything or have any cultural significance it was just made up to sound cool. It’s pronounced like Xavier but different. My majors are History of Empires and Colonialism and Biology with a focus in Evolution, Ecology, and Conservation.

After coming home after abroad I have had some time to reflect on my time in Berlin. I have learned a lot during my time abroad, but I want to share the three main lessons that I learned during my time in Berlin. The first thing that I learned was it’s okay to spend some time alone. Abroad is a great time to take some time for yourself without any of the traditional obligations from your everyday life. Exploring a new city by myself gave me a new sense of independence and maturity that I would not have developed back at home.

IES Abroad: Tell us a bit about yourself and your study abroad blog.

After almost ten weeks of being in Europe, I am back home in the United States. However, it feels as if time has been at a stand still because now that I'm back it feels like I never left. As good as it is to be back in America and the comfort of being back in my home, I miss Rome and the rest of Europe so much.

I’ll admit, the water crisis in Cape Town was intimidating when I was considering South Africa for study abroad. People were confused as to why I wanted to study somewhere with water restrictions. Friends and peers often asked: “Wait, isn’t Cape Town in a drought?” with furrowed brows and noticeable concern. Before I arrived, I felt the need to mentally prepare for using less water, as if it were a lifestyle I couldn’t possibly just walk into.

It feels so good to be home and time flew by fast, so it makes the idea that I was in Ireland only two weeks ago hard to believe. With my busy schedule of school organization meetings, moving into a new apartment in Iowa and everything in between, I feel like I’ve quickly reactivated the life I put on pause when I went abroad.

One week ago, I landed at Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky airport to spend a few weeks at my family home before returning to Indiana University for the fall semester. I have spent my time home reflecting on my experiences, sharing countless stories with my parents, and racking my brain on what to write as my final update for my IES Abroad blog. I decided to finally answer the question I was asked the most, why did I study abroad?