Being Back is Unbeerable

I have a hard time deciding where to start when I look back at my time abroad. It was truly the best experience of my life, and I wish I could join Dr. Wasser and Dr. Faijt again next summer or for an entire semester. I spent six and a half weeks in Europe, but time flew by too quickly. It was such a unique experience that I appreciate being able to have been a part of. I watched myself grow into a more confident adult. I boldly and excitedly ran throughout Europe (eight countries to be exact) without calling my mom for help and with less and less fear as my time over there continued. Being instructed by Dr. Wasser and Dr. Faijt made the experience even better. They were incredible instructors filled with the most random tidbits of knowledge, and their great character and humor allowed us to grow close to them. It's amazing what happens when you throw 29 strangers in Germany for six weeks. Deep friendships were formed, and certain bonds were made that can't be had with anyone else due to your shared experiences exploring and getting to know each other in Europe. If you are considering joining this study abroad, don't hesitate. Do it. Do it if it scares you. Do it if you'll have to pull the coin jar out. It is worth it. There is so much that I miss.

I miss my days in Bonn. Bonn became a city that felt like home. Towards the end of our time in Europe, it became kind of funny when we would return to Bonn from a weekend trip in another country and feel that feeling of relaxation and relief of being "home." I miss going to the AIB for class and learning the history of Europe while being IN Europe. I learned more than I imagined I would. I miss going to the marketplace during lunch breaks or after class and walking down the pedestrian streets lined with beautiful, colorful buildings. The three-story bookstore became I stop I frequented. I miss drinking a Sion Kolsch outside in no particular hurry, and I especially miss having dinner with my host family. We have kept in touch a bit, and it is my dream to go back to visit them someday. Their sunroom that overlooked the garden became my quiet place where I would read my books and listen to Stephan play the piano. They really became my home away from home.

I miss exploring new cities every week. Just when you think you've seen it all, a new city would prove you wrong. Sometimes I look back and wonder, did I really do that? It almost feels like a distant memory at times or a vivid dream, but when I look back at my pictures, I'm there again and I can't help but smile. It went by too fast. I miss meeting people wherever I went. People say that Europeans are rude. WRONG. I met the kindest people every place I went; it made me think that Americans can be so so brutal to each other. There were the people who help me carry my enormous suitcase up the stairs at the metro in Paris and say, "de nada" when I told them, "merci." There was also the older lady in Paris at La Duree who turned to put her hands on my friend and I and burst out laughing when it began pouring on us out of no where. There was the antique shop owner in Koblenz, Germany who was a ray of sunshine and told us that talking with us made her day. There was the cab driver in Dublin on our ride to Howth. I could go on and on and on.

As much fun as the study abroad was, it was also humbling. I met people I never expected to meet, such as former Nazi soldiers and Syrian refugees. Talk to them, because their stories are incredible. It really makes you understand that the world is so much bigger than the United States. I will forever be grateful for the knots in my stomach and tears I cried for the unspeakable hardships that millions of people faced. I truly believe seeing the evil that took place helped make me a more loving and understanding person. Europe is a fun and exciting place to be, but I still think it's incredibly important to immerse yourself into things that make you uncomfortable and understand that they happened.

I'm sitting here trying to put into words how I feel. My heart longs to be back. I am a girl who never wanted to move out of Texas, even if it was temporary. Now I can picture myself living in Europe. I actually added a few European schools to my vet school applications. I branched out so much and grew tremendously because of it. The study abroad was truly a once in a lifetime experience. Don't tell yourself that you'll go later. Go now.

I do have one piece of advice though... it is the one bad thing that came out of this. Wear proper walking shoes, because I wore my Birks every single darn day and now have two corns on my foot that I need to have removed. I know, gross. Now you know, though.

Checking in one last time,
Mikayla O'Leary