I remember the first time I considered studying abroad. A bright envelope informing me that an anonymous alumni had recommended me for a study abroad program for teenagers and pre-teens sat in my mailbox, with my name printed clearly on it. For varying prices, the company would send children around the world for different lengths of time, teaching them leadership while they got to experience the world. I was hooked, it was exactly what I wanted. For years I begged my parents to go, and for years they said no.

A property I stumbled upon in one of Nagoya's older neighborhoods

How exactly am I feeling about studying abroad in about a week? To put it simply: I am terrified and ecstatic all at the same time.

This past semester, I have experienced several unexpected lows in my mental health — problems that I had thought would remain in the past came back up again, and it affected my daily life in Vienna. At times, it seemed even worse because this was supposed to be a period in my life when I should be out adventuring and making the best memories that I would look back on for years and years to come. Don’t get me wrong, that absolutely did happen. I’ve had experiences this semester that have changed me and that I wouldn’t trade for anything.

Today is/was my last day here on the islands, crazy how fast time flies when you are having fun. I never really thought we would reach this moment in time. It is all becoming so real and happening so fast. Tomorrow I start my journey back to the United States. We have to be at the airport tomorrow around 10:30, our flight it at 2:00pm I believe and we land in Quito around 5:00pm. I won’t have much time in Quito either. We will be dropping our stuff off at a hotel and getting dinner at seven. Then it is time for me to say my final goodbyes.

This week, my class and I had the opportunity of a lifetime...go hiking in the Swiss Alps.  The class is focused on how humans have altered alpine landscapes for thousands of years.  Instead of simply learning about these facts from a textbook, we went on multiple excursions to see these effects firsthand.

I remember when I thought I could dig a hole to China. I would dig and dig for hours on the beach in Florida hoping I could make a hole deep enough to reach the country that I was born in.

Now, although I didn’t crawl through a hole to reach China, I have seen the country I was born in after only hearing things about it. Thinking back on my three months in China, it’s hard to remember each moment. I try to show people pictures of what I have done, but it can’t encompass what I have experienced.