Round 1 Done! (Well, almost..)

As this post is being written, I have just finished my official classes for the semester and am moving on to the joyful stress of finals. I would try to make a reflection on my experiences this past semester, but I don't exactly think I'm ready for that just yet. The fact is I still have almost 6 months to go, and for that I couldn't be any happier. I just need more time.

I apologize to those of you who expected to hear about all of my amazing travels and crazy experiences, because unfortunately there wasn't really a whole lot of that. I was lucky enough to see the sites of Waterloo, Bruges, Utrecht, The Hague, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Normandy, Berlin, Enschede, and Aachen. Though it may sound like a lot, most of those trips were day trips done with my program, and my travels have not yet given me the chance to venture outside Western Europe. In relation to many of my friends here, my trips have paled in comparison. However, the more I dwell on this thought the more I realize that none of this is about living up to some expectation or idea - it's about me. Though it may sound bad that 4 months in I still can't put my finger on what it is I want out of this experience, I'm not worried. For me this is about learning; learning from my mistakes, learning a new way to learn from those around me, and learning just what it is I'm here for.

Despite not having many of the typical experiences of my fellow abroaders, I do believe I've experienced one thing that most will not have the chance to - dating a European has its perks you know! (Maybe now you know what's about to follow..) Because of Gerard, I feel lucky enough to have had the chance to get to know another city completely outside the realm of being a tourist. Though yes, some of my weekends spent in Utrecht could have been spent exploring some new 'exotic' country (whatever that means), they were spent getting to know a different European culture through new friends, meeting family, and simply enjoying new experiences. And for that feeling - that home away from home feeling - I wouldn't change a thing.

So now comes the time for me to wrap up the semester, and wildly anticipate what is to come - I'm looking forward to spending a few weeks in Europe with mom and dad, doing some traveling in January, a whole new range of classes, and even the possibility of having an internship. Though I could be seeing my situation in any number of ways right now - almost over, a waste of time, with undying nostalgia for home - I choose to see it the only way I know how - half full.