Until Next Time...

I remember the days leading up to my departure for my semester abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark.  The frantic packing that my mother and I were doing hours before my flight, the slight anxiety/excitement that I had on the way to the airport, and the feeling that I was not yet prepared to embark on this journey. 5 months later, I cannot believe I am back in my room, in Chicago, typing a blog post about my amazing experience.  It is so hard to sum up the best 4 months of my life in a blog post.  It was almost hard to write this because I didn’t want to come to terms with the fact that my magical semester in Denmark was over.  Time truly waits for no one.  4 months, felt like 4 weeks, and my magical experience seems like it was all a dream.  I have these memories that warm my heart every time I see something that reminds me of my trip, or talk to one of the great friends that I met along the w ay. 

My semester was amazing not just because of the wonderful country, my exceptional host family, invaluable learning experiences, and weeks of traveling the world. 

It was amazing because I grew up.

I grew in ways that are hard to articulate and ways that I really do not understand.  But most importantly, I experienced the way another culture lives. There is a bigger picture and sometimes we get stuck in our own “stuff” and don’t realize that there is so much in the world that we have yet to discover.  Things that will open your mind, people who will touch your soul, and moments that will forever change your outlook on life.    

I miss Denmark already.  I miss my friends, I miss the public transportation, the Shawarma, the cobblestone streets, the fashion, the beautiful Danish men, my host family, being able to hop to another country for lunch, insightful conversations with strangers, I miss the ease of it all.

I miss the Peace.

As I go into my second semester of my junior year at Spelman College, I am thankful for everything I learned in Denmark, for the people I met, and the woman I became.  And I will continue to positively impact my campus and surrounding community.

My traveling days however, are far from over.  I have chipped the tip of the iceberg, and I have so much more to discover.

This semester was nothing short of a blessing.  Denmark was my home, but Europe was my classroom.  Not many can say that.

Tak, Vi ses, and until next time.