It's July 1, which means that I'm headed back to the United States in exactly one week, and my 2013 European adventure will have officially come to an end (hopefully not for long, though!). It's hard to believe that I've been here for (only) 151 days now, but I've been so lucky to be able to do so much and to see so many different countries and meet so many wonderful people.
As a recap, the countries I visited were/are (in no particular order):
1. France
2. Switzerland
3. Luxembourg
4. Netherlands
5. Germany
6. Spain
7. Czech Republic
8. Italy
9. England (although the chance of me getting to leave the airport is slim, so I'm not compelled to count it)
I can now say that I speak at least enough French to hold a decent conversation, and I can speak Spanish enough to actually communicate with people, not just analyze literature. I can also say "Ich spreche kein Deutsch" when approached by German speakers.
I had the chance to live in the Loire Valley for three months, where I lived in a sweet little town that is less than half the population of my high school. I got to see masterpieces that most people only dream of seeing with my art history class. I spent five weeks in Madrid with a wonderful host mother, and I got to see most of the major cities in Spain (where I've undoubtedly left some of my heart). I've spent over 70 hours on trains traveling between countries, have metro passes from three different countries, and have had the pleasure(?) of flying the infamously sketchy RyanAir.
I've been lucky enough to meet extended family members, run into old friends (J.Z. and N.S.), meet up with A.V. throughout Europe (and crash in Munich whenever I get down time), spend time with my dad in Paris and Valencia, and encounter new friends (all y'all southerners :P and J.K. from my night train to Munich!).
I can't wait for my last trip this weekend (tagging along on A.V.'s class trip to Prague) before I go back, and I'm crossing my fingers that the German weather will hold out for my last week here.
I'm
coming home with a new suitcase after the tragic death of my old one on
the train to Munich and so many new friends and experiences from all
around the world, and I'm sad to be closing this chapter in my travels,
but I can't wait until I find my next opportunity to go abroad.
