Returning home was something that I did not think much about while I was abroad because I was constantly on the move and experiencing new things. Sure, I would talk to family and friends from home and they would tell me how much they missed me and how they couldn’t wait to see me and hear all about my trip but I never felt the same excitement they did about my return; I kind of just ignored it. At the conclusion of my final day in Florence, I sat in bed and went through all my pictures from the trip and felt grateful for the time I was able to spend abroad but also realized that studying abroad changed the way I looked at the world. Sometimes when you are stuck in the same daily routine it is easy to forget that there is a whole world full of inspiring people, intriguing cultures, delectable foods, breathtaking views and remarkable architecture for us to experience. I was lucky enough to experience many of these while I was in Italy, but I found myself not wanting the adventure to end. All I wanted to do was cancel my flight and continue exploring the many countries in my reach. Unfortunately, that did not happen and the next day I returned home. When I stepped off the plane at my final destination, Philadelphia, it felt strange blending in with most other people in the airport, being in a familiar place and hearing only English being spoken. Don’t get me wrong, it was slightly comforting, but it made me want to plan my next trip abroad as soon as I got home because it felt weird to no longer have so many new places within hours or even minutes from me. There is so much to do, see and learn in this wonderful world and studying abroad brought the importance of stepping outside of my day to day life to my direct attention. Studying/traveling abroad is great for a number of reasons, but the most important reason I discovered is that it showed me that most of the things we spend so much time complaining about or stressing about or even just thinking about are so minuscule in the grand scheme of things. You realize that there is much more to life than your daily, day in and day out routines, the number of likes on your Instagram photos, your GPA, having a perfect body, striving to be liked by everyone, etc. You discover a new zest for life that inspires you to take advantage of every day and simply do things that are worth your time, whether that be going out and exploring that new place that you have been wanting to visit for years or taking time to appreciate the small beauties in nature and architecture, both in the States and abroad.
