My trips included visits to Paris, Bath, York, Prague, Edinburgh, Florence and many neighborhoods in London itself. I finally felt what it’s like to explore Europe as someone who has a home base here, rather than just as an American tourist. For an American kid whose parents started out in Czech Republic with very little, I feel as though I am in a dream being able to study in Europe.
This semester was less about heavy school work and more about the experience of living in a whole new country. Through the Gilman Scholarship and Reach the World, I wrote articles about my time abroad for you, and I met you, too via video chats. Being able to represent my university and show what life in another country looks like has felt so meaningful to me, and and it has made this semester feel bigger than just my time in London.
Now that I’m packing my bags and getting ready to fly back in a week or two, I feel the same mix of emotions I had when I first arrived, just reversed. I’m excited to go home, to see my friends and family, to walk into my room and have everything feel familiar again, but at the same time, there’s a huge part of me that doesn’t want to leave the life I’ve built here. I’ll miss taking the Tube everywhere, living with my two best friends and having the freedom to travel to the countries that I have yet to visit.
This semester changed me in ways I did not expect. I feel calmer, less uptight and more comfortable letting things unfold instead of stressing over every detail. I hope that each one of you gets the chance to study abroad someday. It changes the way you see the world and the way you see yourself.
