The Final Countdown

May 6th seemed like a long way away back in January when I arrived in Siena.  But here we are now at the end of April with less than two weeks left until I go back to America and I can’t help but wonder where did all the time go.  At this point in my journey, the mix of emotions is incomprehensible.  Part of me is ready to go home, see all my family and friends, and go back to my normal American, college kid life.  Yet another part of me doesn’t want to let this go.  This has been the most difficult, yet the most rewarding period of my life.  Words can never really describe how I feel about this experience.  It is a deeply personal journey, and no two people who study abroad have the same experience.  There are seven people in my program with seven very different experiences.  However, we all shared the common thread of going through  this together.  Our small community of seven played a huge roll in my experience here in Siena.  No, its not pretty all the time, but at the end of it all, we are here for each other when we most need it.  We will always share this experience with each other.  We travelled the world together and I think that’s pretty amazing.

After sharing this experience with six other people it makes me very sad that we likely won’t see each other again.  We go to college all over the U.S. and it seems highly unlikely that we will meet up again.  I think this will be most difficult when I return and realize that nobody truly understands my feelings and emotions unless they have also studied abroad.  It will be difficult to readjust, but I think I will find comfort in knowing that I will always have the memories of a truly priceless life experience.  Like I said, it has been incredibly difficult at times, but I wouldn’t have done anything differently.  I think being here in Siena and traveling around Europe has allowed me to grow up tremendously and realize that I am much more than just a college student.  It has made me realize that if I can navigate my way through a foreign country where I don’t know the language, I can solve many real life problems.

In these last few days, I hope to appreciate every second and reflect on how being here has truly changed my life and made me a better person.  I will be truly sad to leave Siena, but I know that great things are just around the corner for me.  Everything I have learned here will make my life that much more rewarding now.  I can never thank everyone who made this experience possible enough.  At 20 years old I have lived a dream that I never knew was possible.  For that I will always be grateful.