I logged onto my blog the other day to read back about my experiences, and realized I never really gave a conclusion to the whole semester. While this is probably more for me than for anyone else that might be reading, I am going to go ahead and post it if you would like to read.
There are an infinite number of lessons I learned in my four months overseas, and even more lessons in the time since when I have reflected upon that which I learned. I learned how to travel. How to communicate. How to save money. How to accept gifts and help from others. How to adjust to last minute change. The list could go on, and those were the surface lessons. What did I really learn? I learned who I am. I learned about people of all different cultures. I learned how to love, even those people that I barely know. I learned that no matter where I am in the world, the people there aren't too different from myself. I learned more about being Catholic than I could've imagined.
When people ask about my experience, I still am not sure what to tell them. How, in a short conversation, can I possibly portray 4 months, 9 countries, and experiences which may take a lifetime to come to fruition? The short answer-awesome, amazing, indescribable, life-changing, unforgettable, etc. The long answer could take forever, but the easiest way to sum it up, is that I learned what it meant to live. To really experience. To love. To simply dive into situations I may have run from in the past.
And so, I thank any of you, family, friends, etc. For the support, the love, the prayers, and for everything. I have come to many conclusions about things I experienced simply from talking to you, having someone to listen and share my experiences with. And so, Austria and the semester of a lifetime is over. And sure it's sad, but i have learned to truly appreciate the chance it was, because I was given something special.
