The Last Stop

I get on a plane headed for Omaha in the morning. I’m sitting here in my nearly vacant room next to a fully packed suitcase and thinking about these past six weeks. There has been some turbulence along the way, but the good times and good connections I’ve made here completely override the bad. There are so many moments that keep popping up in my mind as I try to recount the whirlwind that has been my study abroad experience.

The Netherlands making it all the way to the semifinals and being in this country while it happened was an indescribable experience. Anyone who knows me can tell you I’m no sports expert, but the energy and enthusiasm from the fans in this country is unsurpassable. Feeling united as a whole with the people of this country is something that has really grounded me during my time here and made me feel at home.

The connection I’ve made with my “Amsterdayum” family here is one that I will cherish forever. i would not have made it through this month and a half without the incredible intelligence, unapologetic individualism, and belly laughter I experienced with these people. I couldn’t have asked for better company during this experience.

And of course, this entire trip would have been infinitely different without my best friend and partner in crime, Nicole. There are best friends, and then there are friends like us. I’m so glad I was able to experience this with her and I honestly wouldn’t have made it through without her.

This trip has changed me for the better, and every day that passed I could feel myself growing as an individual as well as a citizen of this world. It is so important to travel. It makes the world a lot smaller and easier to digest and you become a more compassionate person after living life as others live it. I wouldn’t trade the experience I had here for anything.

It was a wild ride, Amsterdam, but this is my last stop.