In retrospect...

Well, I apologize for the serious delay in my final entry regarding studying abroad. However, I was too busy living and loving London during my last two weeks of residence to take the time to attempt to put words to my experience.

Leaving London was extremely difficult. I can't say the living situation was ideal, nor did I really want to continue writing final papers and studying for a final exam. However, the overall beauty of all that I was able to accomplish while abroad is something that will forever embellish the walls of my heart. Therefore parting with the city that I will forever associate with the purest form of wonderful was one of the most bitter sweet things I have ever had to do.

While abroad, I was forced to confront a change in my lifestyle, not just because of where I was, but because of who I was with and what I was doing. I learned how to jet-set around Europe at the cheapest possible price. I learned the in's and out's of British Parliament and how a government representative's office works. I learned how to navigate not just London, but the rest of England and many of the cities that I visited during my time abroad. And this is just the beginning... I can't even begin to delve into what I learned about myself and other people.

In fifteen weeks, my world was shaken and tossed about by the winds and tides of culture, time, distance and unfamiliarity. Was it perfect? In terms of the dictionary definition, absolutely not. I had a panic attack on the train to the airport before my trip to Copenhagen because the scrolling destination list was not working in the train car I was in, thus preventing me from confirming that the train was in fact going to Gatwick Airport (don't worry, it was). I spent many evenings pouting because I could not get Skype to work properly. I often opted to cover (insert food here) in Nutella and call it dinner on far too many occasions. Also, there are some things that I wanted to do and see, like Abbey Road, St. Paul's Cathedral and Paris, that I was unable to make the time or effort for. Yet, in my own understanding of perfection, my study abroad experience was exactly that. It was everything that I wanted and needed for it to be and I am forever thankful for all of the situations, people and opportunities that came together to bring me to where I am now.

I know many people who did not study abroad this past semester who get very antsy when my friends and I bring up how changed we are because of our experience. I can understand why because even if they had no desire to go abroad, hearing people wallow in nostalgia for the person they were in Europe is in no way entertaining. However, I hope that these people, at Wake Forest and elsewhere, who did not take advantage of an opportunity to study abroad or simply were not able to do so will at least be accepting of and interested in the changes we have undergone. I have said before that I know that a lot of what I learned while abroad probably has yet to surface and that my experiences in London and all over the world will continue to resonate in every situation that I am for the rest of my life. I would hate for people to assume that studying abroad is a skin-deep experience... I am not quite sure where I am going with this. However, I can say... perhaps as a segue into the next chapter of my life (and blog, if you're lucky)... that one of my greatest fears in leaving London was that no one will understand or care or even wonder how I have been impacted by the past four months of my life. Yet, only time will tell and I too owe it to those who did not the face the same trials and opportunities as I did this past semester to take it easy on the 'well, when I was studying abroad' anecdotes. After all, even I will admit that there is no way I could ever do the overall study abroad experience justice in words and therefore I cannot assume that people will just get it.

Enough with the rambling. I'm off my soap box and back on planet america where capitalism trumps freedom, food actually has taste and mom and dad are no longer a skype date away. My nugget to take away from all of this, something I may try to make a motif in my blog posts from now on, is this:

Sometimes things just do not work out the way you planned them. People flake. Rain falls. Tube lines close. Drinks are overpriced. Heels were a bad choice. Skype fails. Exams are hard. Flights are cancelled. Each of these happenings however are not the end. They are the beginning of a new challenge, the coming of a bigger conquest, the opening of a greater window of opportunity. All you have to do is look past the moment it all comes crashing down. Once you do, it's easy to see how with every door that closes, another one is begging to be opened.

Until the next adventure...

Happy Holidays!