Greetings from my last week in Santiago! I can’t believe that we are getting towards the end of my experience here. It feels like just yesterday I was living in three worlds: a world in Bloomington, IN where I go to school, Chicago where my family is, and then a suitcase filled with all the things I wanted to bring to Santiago. I was honestly a mess. I didn’t know what to expect once I arrived and I was extremely anxious about the whole trip.

The End

I have been back in Texas for just over a week now. Being back here reminds me how much I missed this great nation and how much I missed America. It has also showed me how awesome Australia was. As great as Texas is, I do not have the Opera House here, neither am I close to a beach nor kangaroos and koalas.

Like any other language, Arabic is not complete without the little phrases that make it unique. There are a ton of these phrases (inshaallah, yalla, etc), but one of my favorites is “Alhamdu lillah!” Alhamdu lillah is the Arabic version of “Thank God!” and using it has caused me to reflect on gratitude in my daily life.

I am currently writing this in a little coffee shop back in Indiana, and just three short days ago, I had to say goodbye to Vienna.  I was obviously excited to get home and see my family, but I also already miss the city I called home for the past six weeks.

Studying in Japan was the best thing I have done. From the friends I met to learning the language and exploring regions of Japan, I do not regret one thing I did. The experience was extremely worthwhile. It's not the same as travelling to Japan on vacation. I get to live with Japanese students and working professionals, experiencing their way of life, going to school with college students, and so much more. This is not something I would be able to experience if I had just come for a short break.

Two weeks left before going back home, my friend and I decided to take a trip to Hakone. A trip to relax, take our minds off of finals, and to enjoy one of Japan's most famous areas. Hakone is located in a mountainous region and is mostly famous for its onsens, or hot springs. We actually didn't go for the onsens although we wanted to try one, but our funds were running low so we decided to explore the area instead. Our first stop was of course food.

Only one month left before I depart back to California. It feels surreal like I have so much more I want to do but so little time left. This whole month is going to be pretty hectic for me as I have a lot of presentations and reports due as well as finals. I want to spend my remaining time making precious memories with my friends and seeing more of Japan. Did I miss home while I was away? Not really. I get frequent calls from my parents almost every day so it doesn't really feel like I have been apart from them.

This weekend was the first time I had traveled outside of Ireland. I went to England to visit a good friend of mine, Elliott, who lives an hour or so outside of Birmingham. Traveling makes me nervous to begin with, but traveling alone is even worse, for most of my flight I was wreck of emotions, both excitement and nerves.

For my six credit class, we have taken a couple field trips. The one I want to talk about is the trip to Brick Lane. Only two classes got to do this, so if you're from a class that didn't get to go, I suggest you go when you have the chance.