Eleven articles and nearly four months later, it’s time to say goodbye to Suffolk Madrid and my adventures in Europe. Finals start in a couple days and I’m flying home in less than two weeks.
It’s crazy to me how fast this semester has flown by, although between schoolwork and traveling this was the busiest I’ve ever been, so I guess it makes sense.
Closing this chapter of my life is definitely bittersweet. I’ve really enjoyed living in Spain these past few months, and it was so thrilling to be able to travel to seven other countries while I was here. I’m definitely going to miss how easy and cheap it was to travel, and overall how inexpensive Europe is in general.
On the other hand, after being away for so long, I can confidently say that I do like living in the U.S. and I will probably never move to another country. I like that I know what to expect in the U.S.: I know how everything works. Certain things were different in Europe, so I spent a lot of time being anxious and not knowing what to do.
Another big factor is just being away from home and having to deal with a time difference on top of that. I can handle not seeing my family for a while, but the six hour time difference made it much harder. I would be awake hours before they were, and sometimes went to bed before they had even left work or finished class. This made it a lot more difficult to communicate with them.
Despite those factors, I’m so happy I decided to study abroad and I would encourage anyone who is able to do so. Living in another part of the world and finding my way here has been a really fun experience.
Being here gave me the opportunity to make more friends, which I’m so thankful for. Before studying abroad, I only had a couple close friends in Boston, but I’ve met so many wonderful people here that I was able to become close with.
Traveling the world and experiencing other cultures is something I think is so valuable. I feel as though I’ve become much more willing to try new things. Visiting so many other countries has made me incredibly grateful for the life I live.
I’m excited to go home and move forward with my life with these experiences to look back on. I’ve made so many amazing memories and I know my semester abroad will always be something I hold close to my heart.
I’m really happy I was able to start this column to document my journey and share my experiences, and I hope everyone who has been following along enjoyed reading it each week. If any of you are about to embark on study abroad journeys of your own, or you’re considering studying abroad, don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions! I’m more than happy to give my honest advice or share any helpful tips.
I can’t wait for the day when I’m able to come back to Europe and see even more of it. But until then, thank you so much for an incredible four months and see you soon.
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