It's hard to find just a couple of words to describe this year. I honestly don't think I had any concrete expectations before coming here and I think that's been one of the biggest blessings. It just means that every experience has been new and special. Even the difficult times like the very long and grey winter, which I've never experienced before, were a challenge and a major opportunity to learn from and grow. The weather is finally improving and spring in Berlin is absolutely beautiful. I also had no expectation for travel. I mean I planned on traveling but I had no set destination or number of places I felt I had to go. Because of this, I have traveled more than I could have imagined and to places I had never before considered. I went to Split, Dabrohvnic Amsterdam, Budapest, Vienna, Nuremberg, Dresden, Prague, Dublin, Barcelona, Valencia, Paris, Rome, and for my birthday in June I'm planning a trip to London. I have also had the amazing opportunity to travel by myself. That is an experience everyone should have.
The most difficult part about my year abroad would be that I can't think of a time when I wasn't at least a little homesick. I missed my family and California very much. And I guess I can be thankful to this experience because of how it has made me appreciate the people in my life and has actually brought us closer. I would say that this year abroad has made me proud of where I come from. I mean I've always been able to see the faults in our system but I still love it and I wouldn't choose to be an expat. But this experience has made me want to travel so much more and all over the world. That's another thing I've learned, it's not as big as we think.