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Well, the time has come for one last post. As the dust is settling upon my arrival back in the states, I am finally back on the appropriate time zone, and no longer wide awake at 3am, going for a run at 4am, and having cooked and eaten a full breakfast by 6am.
Now is the time to return to reality, which for me at this point is fairly wide open. My job search is in full swing while I try and get myself in some sort of routine as I seek out the next step.
At the risk of creating a very unappealing, ignorant reputation for myself on this blog, I want to begin by admitting something that has induced the most anxiety for me as I prepare to leave for Amsterdam on Sunday. I know very little European history. I'm a relatively well-informed person and I enjoy knowing what's going on. I've never been one to sit back and let an experience wash over me, I like to know exactly where I am, why I'm there, and what it means.
As my departure date for France steadily comes closer, I find myself wondering more and more if I'm packing the right things, if my French is good enough, and whether or not I'm fit for the European lifestyle. However, with websites like Pinterest available to give me sage advice on clothes, I think I might be prepared enough to brave this new adventure.
Well, it has been officially one week since arriving back in the USA. I would not say has been a super easy adjustment back to the USA after my semester abroad. We were warned by IES Abroad that many of us would experience culture shock coming back. I was a bit hesitant of that due to the fact I did not experience when I arrived in Germany, but I did experience it here too. Jet lag has also not been too friendly to me too, cause it always hits me harder when I go back to the states.
Only 21 days separate me from finally being in Shanghai, China, to study abroad for an entire semester. To simply say I am anxious would not fully summarize my thoughts on the experience I am about to face. How can I know what I should feel or expect about this experience when there is so much uncertainty over what I will do, what I will learn and who I will spend my time with?
What I will miss:
-The people: All the amazing friends made on the program, teachers, co-worker, locals, our amazing RA Wang Min
-The food: The ease, cheapness, and homecooked feel of street food that can’t be found in the states
-The ease of travel: Taking the subway or bus literally anywhere and everywhere (and is nearly always on time) and a train that takes you from Shanghai to Beijing in 5 hrs? Can’t beat that.
The countdown in my phone is telling me that there are only 13 more days until I board a flight from Detroit to Madrid, where I will muster up some confidence and slowly make my way to Rabat. So many pieces fell into place for me to end up at this moment. The hunt for studying in an Arabic-speaking country was one that took YEARS. I have ended up with a college-budget-friendly program that places me with an Arabic-speaking host family (a rare pleasure in the world of study abroad) in beautiful, colorful, overwhelming Morocco.
The day comes when you pack up and say goodbye to what home was to you. The bittersweet emotion you feel in the empty space hits you in an unexpected way. But after eight weeks of growing and shaping yourself, it's time to say goodbye. I headed to the airport, prepared for the 24 hour treck home, and reminisced on the summer that changed me.
While I was interning and studying in London, I had free time to continue some of the things I love doing in the US. I also started a couple new things. Here are a few of my art pieces and hobbies from the trip.
