Final Reflection

     Coming back to the United States after being abroad for any longer than I had ever been, was comforting but I also missed being able to travel to a different country every weekend and experience things I would never be able to here.  Now that school has started and I’m seeing all my friends, I haven’t been able to stop sharing stories from abroad.  Although my friend’s are intrigued in also having a similar experience and studying abroad, they are getting pretty annoyed with all the stories.  Thinking back on the Hero’s Journey speech, I realize that I’ve returned with my boon.  It required that I broaden my horizons, break out of my shell of comfort, and embrace all that came my way.  This wasn’t easy but had to be done quickly upon arrival if I was to be open to accepting my boon.  Along the way, I learned a lot about myself, about traveling, about the history of medicine, the history of the beautiful countries we visited, and gained some pretty amazing friends.  Adapting to the European way of life took about a week but once I got used to the 1ft by 1ft showers, learned the train schedule and what später meant, where to get the cheapest lunches and best gelato, the exact price for two scoops of gelato at the afore mentioned place, and embraced the permanent presence of a light layer of sweat all over, I realized it was a life I could get used to.

     Upon returning this summer, I took a POLS class.  This really made me compare the government of the U.S. with those of European countries.  I was especially able to better understand taxes in the U.S. and in Germany because of the lecture in HoM relating to healthcare.  The culture differences between the two countries also became more prominent.  Germans are wonderful people but if they don’t know you, they aren’t going to be the most affectionate.  The day after returning home, I had to drive back to College Station in order to start my POLS class.  My parents and I went out to dinner and as soon as the hostess and waitress said “Howdy!” I realized that Americans are such nice, comforting people.  Or maybe that’s just in College Station.  I also missed being able to just hop on a train and be home at any time of the day.  I realized that I preferred this to driving myself around because with the way people drive in College Station, it’s a much safer option.  The thing I miss the most are the gelato and pastry shops at every corner.  Granted I did lose twenty pounds once I had been in the US for three weeks because I didn’t have easy access to those things.

My expectations for this trip and these classes were well beyond satisfied.  Learning about the history of medicine was really interesting to me because medicine is a topic that I’m truly intrigued by, therefore wanting to go to medical school to learn more about it.  Taking this course excited me for the future, it made me a little less scared to pursue a career that so many say is challenging and instead motivated me to put all my effort into these last two years.  I am extremely grateful for the experience that I was able to partake in and all the lasting memories it has given me.  It is truly something that I will never forget and will be recommending to Aggies for years to come.

Our first cuddle puddle on the first weekend

Us on the first week of school having dinner in College Station (Sarah is taking the pic)