On the eve of my departure, I’ve spent a lot of time talking about things I’ll miss and the people I’ll miss (read: sobbing). This amazing chapter of our lives is coming to a close. Rather than continue to dwell on what I’ll miss, I think it’s time to look at what I’ll be coming home to.

I just finished my last examen final!! YAYAYAYAY

I had the most terrifying final exam experience this Tuesday. It was for my “Instituciones y Derecho de la Unión Europea.” There were so much material to study because we pretty much covered all the major institutions and organs of the European Union plus the principles of “derecho” that the Union abides by. I won’t have worried too much if it was a normal, written exam that I’m used to. The scary part was that it was an oral exam!! My first time taking an oral exam, and that in Spanish.

Never in my life did I ever expect to be happy about getting a 68 on something. I imagine that this is a sentiment echoed among many over-achievers: getting less than an A (or, urghf, fine, A-) on an assignment has been known to make me nauseated. This being the case, it’s a damn lucky thing that I was in the soc room last Tuesday, or I may have collapsed in front of my very startled tutor when I picked up my history term essay on Wednesday morning .

Coming home can be a time of mixed emotions for a lot of people. Leaving the culture, food and friends you’ve grown accustomed to while abroad can actually be a lot harder than you think. Here are some tips for making the transition back to your native culture easier.

If your semester studying abroad was anything like mine, it went WAY too fast! Although my semester came to a close as of last week, here are some tips that I think you’ll find helpful for when you’re preparing to depart from your city.

1) A monument to Macià in Plaça de Catalunya, Barcelona

2) As the sun sets on the horizon the perfect light is shed upon the buildings around Plaza Catalunya

3) On another street along Plaza Catalunya lies the Banco español de credito

4) Down one end of the street is one of the biggest department stores in the area known as El Corte Inglés, it has nearly 8 floors and has everything from clothing to power tools.