Only a few days after my program ends, and I already miss my friends, co-workers, and teachers. Shanghai is a great place for students to study abroad in China, especially for students who want to go outside their comfort zone but still take on a challenge.

I promised myself that when I had the chance to visit China, I would make it my goal to visit Shanghai.  My uncle and aunt are currently living in this futuristic city along the Huangpu River and my cousins, my sister and I agreed that we would visit them together.  So, for my last weekend in China, I bought some high-speed train tickets myself and went to visit them.  

With only two busy weeks, one short weekend, and a showcase to prepare, the last bit of time in Dublin seemed to fly by. I began looking at the city and seeing a multitude of places that I had yet to visit. My bucket list of experiences was extensive (but my list of restaurants, coffee shops, and pubs was even longer). Even more pressing was the thought of leaving all of the people I had met in Dublin this summer.

Just a week before I was set to depart from America and embark on a 17-hour flight from New York to Cape Town, South Africa, the place I’d be calling home for the next four months, my mom was greeting me with a joyous “welcome home!” But honestly, my childhood home in Connecticut, the place I’ve lived for the past 20 years, didn’t really feel like home anymore. In the past year, I’d been home for about 3 weeks in total. In the past 365 days, I’d managed to travel to 10 different states, 5 countries, and 3 continents.

2 weeks after I landed in Auckland, I already have so much to share and stories to tell – isn’t that incredible?!

After eight weeks in Shanghai, I’ve accumulated a lot of things: notebooks, clothes, souvenirs. But now that it’s time to go, I have to make some decisions and start cleaning out the room that’s been home since May. Unfortunately, that also means adding to the trash heap and wasteful attitude of Shanghai.

One of the taglines of IES Internships is helping students “put their résumé on the map.” There’s studying abroad, interning abroad, and volunteering, all of which look good for future employers.

A to-do list for the last day in Berlin

1.     T-shirts

2.     Sweatshirts

3.     Shoes

4.     Hairbrush

5.     Underwear

6.     Don’t forget to say goodbye to everyone, even the people who are like, “But you’re not really leaving” because taking an expensive airplane ride over a literal ocean isn’t really leaving, apparently

It’s currently three hours before my first plane ride boards, and I don’t think it’s hit me yet that my life is about to change—really soon. In a blink of an eye, I will be leaving my home, my family, my friends, and my way of life. Instead of spending my fall living with my best friends in sophomore housing, I’ll be enjoying spring in a different hemisphere. I’ll be by myself in a country where I know no one, am not fluent in the language, and know nothing about the culture.

When I first came to this country, I was overwhelmed and unsure whether I would really like it here. I have never lived in a big city before, and it was a little daunting. At the time, my mom reassuringly said, “You’ll love it here, and you’ll never want to come back.” As much as I hate admitting it, she was right. I love the diversity, the rich history, and the culture. I had never thought about moving out of the states after college until this trip. I could see myself living here, hopefully sooner rather than later.