Exactly 4 weeks ago I arrived in Pamplona, Spain. In exactly 6 days I will be back home in New Jersey. Thinking back over the past four weeks, it is crazy how fast the time has gone, but also how many amazing adventures I’ve gotten to experience in such a short amount of time. In that amount of time, I have seen the beaches in San Sebastian, the art in the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, the nightlife in Barcelona, the countryside in the south of France, and so many other things. When I go through the pictures on my phone, I am reminded of all the things I have gotten to see and do in just under a month’s time. I am also reminded of all the great friends I have made. Spending every day with the same 13 people has really proven to me how well you can get to know someone in such a short period of time. I have learned so much about everyone through our conversations and group outings. People who I have never met, and likely would not have ever met, have been great friends to me over the last month.
I am so grateful for the time that I have gotten to spend here. Never in my life have I been able to set aside all of my normal responsibilities to travel and learn for five weeks. Through the locals and the people in my group, I have been able to experience and learn more than I ever have in this amount of time. Every day has proven to be a new adventure. Each day we can do something new and exciting, and I will miss that ability when I return home. I will miss the feeling of being unsure and uncomfortable. For as odd as that sounds, being uncomfortable in your surroundings forces you to try something new, and I do not usually have that feeling when I am surrounded by people and places that I have known for years. This trip has taught me that the world is both a large and small place; there are endless opportunities to learn and grow, but each experience can be made your own based on the way you handle it.
