Excuse me, have you seen my semester?

I can’t seem to figure out where it’s gone off and run away to.

My semester of adventures, sadly is coming to a close. In 2 weeks my semester will end. I will no longer be living in Prague, I will no longer be a student at Charles University.

Although, after my semester ends I will be embarking on a month long backpacking trip through the countries of Slovakia, Turkey, along with about 2 weeks in Italy (I’ll see you soon Sissy lala) followed by another 2 weeks of frolicking around central and western Europe. I can’t help but feel sad, and happy, and devastated, and anxious to be home, and excited (mostly for the return of Mexican food to my everyday diet) (and yes, of course to see all of my loved ones and friends)

I am apprehensive for what the rest of the world holds for me, and what I’ll go home to do and who I’ll become and how far I’ve come, and where I’ll go from here.

My time abroad has been 4 of the most life changing, adventure filled, question everything about yourself, experiences I have ever had, and I hope to have many more.

Over the span of the past 4 months my mind set has changed, I have grown, I have come to terms with my strengths, and more importantly my weaknesses, I have made friends that I’ll be visiting back in the states, and I’ve tried and failed to learn a foreign language.

The past 4 months have been a whirlwind. It’s been 4 months of; what the hell is that person saying to me, where the heck am I, where do I go from here, does anybody know how to speak Hungarian, what am I eating, please be able to speak English, is it time to go home yet, please don’t make me go home, where’s my mom, somebody pass the booze, lets go get piercings because we’re abroad, what if I made a huge mistake, this was the best thing I have ever done, I haven’t slept in 24 hours, thank god we’re visiting a country where they speak English, I hope I’m not offending anyone, this is the best food I’ve ever had, why won’t that Italian guy stop staring at me, this is the most incredible city I have been to, No wait this one is, Can I go back to Croatia, Oh my gosh I have 2 papers and a final next week.

Over the span of this semester I have traveled to 10 countries and about 17 cities… I guess thats where my semester disappeared to.

Looking through pictures from this semester I can’t help but want to cry, and I can’t help but feel this overwhelming sensation of how extremely lucky I am. How extremely and overwhelmingly lucky I have been to be able to travel to all of the places I have, not only throughout this semester, but throughout the 19 years I have been on this Earth. And I can’t help but thank the universe and the heavens and the grass and the trees and the flowers for creating such a beautiful planet, and for the life I have been given, and am given every morning.

I am going to be so devastated on June 16th. When I am finally forced to board a plane and fly back to Texas. But for now I’ll continue my semester, which ends May 16, and then I’ll continue on in my adventure through Europe, until it ends and I’ll love every second of it, no matter how rough it gets, or what goes wrong.

Stay tuned for stories about backpacking solo for the first time in my life, traveling to Italy with my person (aka Kayla, aka sister, aka Sissy lala), and many other adventures that are sure to come.