I have been home for about 3 weeks now and let me say it is a 180 degree turn from what I became used to. My first week back I thought I would easily be able to get myself back on the time zone needed but I was way off. My second night back it took everything in me to stay up until 7pm and when I woke up wide awake at 4am I decided to watch a movie and make breakfast.
I struggled a lot this week with feeling like I had nothing to do. In Europe I became used to the 4am wake up calls to go catch a train to another country while not getting back from the prior country until 11pm the night before. At home I felt bored. There has not been nearly as much walking or exploring done that I had figured out I thoroughly enjoyed.
During Pre-Departure training they mentioned that once you get back, people will become tired of listening to all your stories about Europe. Thankfully, I have not reached that point yet but am aware that it is on its way. I find myself in most of my conversations bringing up someone from the trip or adding in a story of something that happened.
Going on this trip made me realize how large my itch for travel has been my whole life and I wish I would have done a much larger trip that a short 2 weeks. If I could go back in time, I would go abroad for a semester or even a whole year. I do not know the next time that I will be able to explore more countries, but I hope it will be soon.
