The title of this post is quote from one of my favorite songs, called Lucky, by Jason Mraz. And it pretty much sums up how I am feeling as I get ready to head back to the good old US of A. Although I should add that, to me, luck is synonymous with blessed, because I know that all the wonderfulness of this semester wasn't a random accident.
I almost can't believe that the semester is drawing to a close...it feels like yesterday that I was sitting in all of those pre-departure meetings in DeBartolo, getting overwhelmed by all I had to do before I left. But here I am, getting ready to go home. And as lovely as Londontown is, I am definitely ready.
This semester has been a whirlwind of excitement and adventure, ups and downs, happiness and challenges. They always told us that going abroad changes you for the better, and I'd like to think that I see that in myself after this semester. I feel more independent, grown up, and relaxed, of all things. Not in the sense that this has been a vacation, because it has been quite the busy semester, but in the sense that I have really learned to go with the flow and be open to adventure, and to just generally be much calmer in situations that otherwise would have completely freaked me out (read: getting to a Polish train station at 5 am--where no one speaks English--and just hopping on the train that we think will take us to Berlin is definitely not something I would have done in October; nor is eating Sri Lankan food).
Today I went on my last run along the beautiful Thames River, one of my favorite things to do here, and pondered the whole experience. I think that this has been my hardest semester yet, and definitely most different. It was hard for me to be away from my Home under the Dome and all the safety, comfort, and familiarity of Notre Dame. But I think that it was something that I needed to do. It would have been easy to stay at Notre Dame and live life as usual. Instead I stepped out of the box and out of my comfort zone. And at the end of the day, I am so happy and grateful that I came to London. It has been an incredible experience, between classes and my internship, traveling, and just living in such an amazing city. I think that is what I have liked best, living on my own and taking advantage of all that London has to offer. There is so much history and culture here, between the markets, museums, historical sites, and theatres. I still can't believe that I got to live here for four months. I'm thinking that it will sink in once I am home. But all in all, London was my favorite city in all of Europe. There is just nowhere like it. Other places are beautiful and special and I loved all my travels, but I was always so happy to return to London. Speaking of travel, I still can't believe how fortunate I was to travel as much as I did (or unfortunate, as the case may be for my bank account...). I've now been to eight countries. Eight. Another unfathomable and unforgettable aspect of this semester.
I feel like this is the perfect way to go out. I know that I will miss seeing Big Ben every morning on my walk to school (how could I not?), but I also feel ready to leave. I miss my family and my bed and my cell phone and American food. I'm lucky on both ends--lucky to have had a great semester and lucky to return to a wonderful life in the US, with an exciting summer of internships at home and then a fabulous senior year at ND!
No comments:
Post a Comment