Reintegration

            Today is September 2, 2015, and I’ve been back home for a little more than a month. Since arriving back in the States, I’ve finished an internship, and started back at school. It’s been a full few weeks, but I haven’t quite forgotten my time abroad just yet!

            Since coming home, I’ve been able to reacquaint myself with both my hometown and my usual routine. I’ll definitely miss Freiburg, but it is nice to be back in my own element. Although, the absolute best part about being back home is being able to drive again! I didn’t realize how much I had missed driving while I was abroad. Just as I had gotten used to having to walk basically anywhere and everywhere I wanted to go, getting to drive again was awesome. 

            As far as what I’ve been up to since coming home again, I’ve tried to keep myself busy. I worked full time at an internship for about a month, and I’m very happy to have had a regular schedule to get into upon my return. Having something as regular as full time work in one’s life is without a doubt a great way to get back into the groove of things. It was a bit of an adjustment, coming off of a remarkably fluid daily schedule, but I think it was exactly what I needed to keep my mind off all that I missed about being in Europe.

            Now that I’m back in school, I definitely feel like I’m back in the real world. I’ve always loved being at school, but now I have a much better perspective on how I’m spending my time here. The classes I took abroad gave me a little better perspective on what I’m studying here, and thankfully it’s helped to give me a little more motivation to take on the classes I have ahead of me.

            Aside from the little joys of knowing how to get around and driving again, getting to see my family and friends again was excellent. I’d been able to stay in touch with my family while abroad, but of course it wasn’t anything like actually being able to see them in person. And to see old friends again was a huge comfort, as well as made coming home much more real for me. 

            It may be a huge cliché, but going abroad gives one a kind of perspective that simply cannot be attained any other way. I feel as though I have a much better idea of what kind of direction I want to take with my life, simply because traveling showed me what is really important to me. This perspective is invaluable to me, but in addition to perspective I also grew as a person far more than I can describe. I am ultimately grateful for the opportunity to travel abroad.

So would I recommend it to a friend?  Yes. Yes I would.

Best,

Greg