Did I mentioned I studied abroad?

Ah yes- the moment I arrived in America, I felt immediate bliss to be in an area with familiarity to it. I was prepared that I was going to talk a lot about studying abroad to my friends and family but I found myself saying "On my study abroad I...", "Oh when I was in ______...", "One of my study abroad friends..."and so on. At first it was fine, as everyone around me was excited to hear about the stories I had to tell. Over time, however, I found that the second I opened my mouth about studying abroad, my audience's eyes glazed over. During my time in America in the following weeks, I found myself looking back over my pictures that I took more often than I can imagine. I was glad that I took the more interesting pictures, but I was also just as grateful for the random, seemingly minute picture details-like the bus stop in front of my host mom's house, or a random chocolate bar I ate in front of the grocery store, or a picture of a sidewalk to make sure I didn't get lost on my way back. These pictures instantly jog my memory and I am taken back to the exact time and place that photo was taken. There are other things I am grateful for in America, such as constant AC and efficient restaurant service and others that I would prefer in Europe, such as not having to drive my car literally everywhere I wanted to go no matter the distance. The first meal I ate when I returned was Mexican, since I vowed to not let my cravings give into German-made queso. I was reunited with my dog after Facetiming him for weeks on end, and suddenly there was like a quiet bliss of my return. Since the study abroad though, I have found myself becoming more conscious of how I chose to spend my time. I have embraced the value of the presence of those around me, taking a little bit of time to appreciate the conversations and quality of the characteristics of my peers. After all the years of studying straight with what seemed like no light at the end of the tunnel, I think that postponing my relaxation time to now was all worth it. Academically, I felt a greater appreciation for the field of medicine since learning about its history. It was kind of like having your great great great great grandfather tell you how you came to be where you are today, since medicine has always been such a central part of my life. Not to mention I have this strange crush on Leonardo Da Vinci, in a platonic, I'd love-to-meet-you kind of way. He has been officially added to the list of "people dead or alive I'd like to have dinner with", along with Opera Winfrey and Maya Angelou. A bottle of pills is seen as having a story as well, with its rich journey that it went through that allowed it to be on the shelf to be purchased today. When I have my own kids, I will highly encourage them to study abroad as well, to see for myself the transformations that I had personally gone through. There are so many places that I wish to revisit on my own time someday, and I will have the stories to tell and the years to compare it with from before. That's the beauty of traveling, no matter how many times you visit the same place, you never really do feel as if you've seen enough. I am forever thankful for the professors, supervisors and peers that transformed and molded this experience for me. What I have felt after I had returned in comparison to before I had arrived is truly indescribable. It's as if you took the combination of a gain in confidence and appreciation and formed a new word out of it. I think more than anything there's a giant hole in my heart that wishes to meet every person that I had encountered on my trip and give a giant hug in thanks for shaping this experience for me, although that would be a bit weird. And perhaps some people, like Dr. Wasser, Henning, Alexa, all the people at AIB, and most importantly, my parents, deserve a much much longer hug that I believe should last my lifetime.