All Good Things Must Come to an End

Five months ago tomorrow I was saying my goodbyes in the Boise Airport. I was second guessing my decision to study abroad. I was telling myself that there was no way that I would be able to survive away from the people I loved most. I remember the sadness I felt looking back one last time before I stepped through security. I remember trying my hardest to keep the tears from flowing as I waited for my flight. I remember the last texts that I sent and the calls that I made. Then there was the five hour wait in the Seattle Airport. I remember seeing the "USAC" baggage tags but being too afraid to talk to anyone. I was fighting back more tears. Making more calls. Thinking that I was making the biggest mistake of my life. But after all of that...I DID IT!

I can't believe that I will be leaving from London tomorrow afternoon to head back to the states. The past five months have been some of the best of my life--I will never, ever forget them! A couple of weeks ago I was reading my friend Morgen's blog and she was reflecting on the things that she learned while she was in Spain. Morgen couldn't have said it any better, it's like she crawled inside my head and stole my thoughts. With that being said, I am going to have to share with you her words...

"I've also spent a good deal of time reflecting on what I've learned over the past semester. A few weeks ago I would have made a list looking something like this:
In Spain I learned...
-Velazquez is the greatest portrait painter of all time
-Cafe con leche and coffee with milk are not the same thing
-The uses of the subjunctive
-Spanish gender roles
-Chocolate chips are a necessity
-Fluency in a foreign language
... and so on...
Now, after rereading my journal and looking back on the past few months I think what I really learned while abroad can be summed up differently. In Spain I learned the importance of family, made friends I will cherish forever, fell in love with Spanish culture, discovered my passions, became more open minded... When it is all said and done it is not the grammar, the literature, the Spanish movies or the art history lessons that account for the life-changing experience. Instead, it is the people I met, the discoveries of self, the long walks on the beach... these are the things that changed my life. I will never be the person I was when I stepped on the plane in January. This experience has made me a better person and I cannot thank the wonderful people I shared it with enough." -Morgen Sedlacek

My experience in Spain taught me so many important things about life. I am a happier person than I've ever been and that is because I now know what it is I want in life and I know exactly what I have to do to get there. I was able to experience something that I never thought I'd be able to survive and I ended up loving every minute of it! I would not trade anything in the world for the experience, the friendships, and the happiness that I gained while studying abroad. I am truly grateful for the opportunity that I had and I will never forget it!

I love this video because I think that it shows the happiness that I experienced and the wonderful friends that I made!