Back to Reality

This post is long overdue but necessary. 

First, a final city and country list: 

Cities: 

Maastricht, the Netherlands 

Koblenz, Germany

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Lindau, Germany

Liechtenstein 

Montreaux, Switzerland

Freiburg, Germany

Porto, Portugal

Lisbon, Portugal

Madrid, Spain

Barcelona, Spain

Cologne, Germany

Munich, Germany

Pfronten, Germany

Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland 

Interlaken, Switzerland

Prague, Czech Republic

Vienna, Austria

Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Wittenberg, Germany

Berlin, Germany 

Ośwęicim, Poland 

Paris, France 

Dublin, Ireland

Galway, Ireland 

London, England

Oxford, England

Edinburgh, Scotland

Pisa, Italy

Florence, Italy

Cinque Terre, Italy

Venice, Italy

Rome, Italy

Countries:

The Netherlands

Germany

Liechtenstein

Switzerland

Portugal

Spain

Czech Republic

Austria

Poland

France 

Ireland

England 

Scotland 

Italy

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I've been home 4 days and still don't think I've fully realized that I just traveled Europe for 3 months. If you follow me on any social media, you know how glad I was to be back in Texas, but there are certainly things I've started to miss about Europe, too. 

I'll miss the thrill of a new city every week. I was in Dallas 2 days before making a day trip to Waco, and now have 4 more days in Dallas before heading back to the Wack permanently. The problem is that after 3 months of never staying anywhere longer than 4 days, in my head I'm still just traveling. I'm not sure what life will be like when I spend the next x number of days in Waco. 

I'll miss the slower pace that most Europeans seem to partake in. School, recruitment, work, one million other responsibilities are about to come crashing down, and I will wish that I was back in Maastricht where no one seems to hurry. 

I'll miss living in the same hallway/building as the people I've spent the last 3 months with. We've been told we were one of the most tightly knit groups to ever partake in this program. Luckily we get to all go back to Baylor together, but I'll still miss the post-dinner ultimate frisbee games and Insanity in the hall at midnight. 

On a lighter note, here are some reflections from a college student traveling Europe on not much money with all her belongings in a backpack that fits airline standards (and not a centimeter over): 

• At some point, your standard as far as what is socially acceptable will go completely out the window. The train station floor next to the overflowing trash can with nearby dog pee that previously would've made you vomit is now an excellent location for a nap. Nutella straight out of the jar is all the breakfast you need. You really can get by with either shampoo, conditioner, OR body wash, but possession of all 3 is absolutely unnecessary. 

• If the restaurant you're eating at has free wifi, expect a silent meal while everyone desperately checks Instagram. 
• I honestly have no idea how I or anyone else would've made it through the last 3 months without iPhones. I can complete any number of tasks without wifi, and I am a pro at consolidating half of my computer's hard drive into PDFs in the iBooks app on my phone. Additionally, "CityMaps2Go" is the only reason I'm not still stranded somewhere in the middle of Hyde Park and don't even get me started on the Eurail app: my best friend and worst enemy, all wrapped into one. 
• Switching between languages to say "thank you" has become second nature. 

French: Merci

Spanish: Gracias

Italian: Grazie

German: Dankeshön (or Danke, in a hurry) 

Dutch: Dank u ell 

• Key elements in a hostel: free wifi, air conditioning, free hot water, 24 hour reception, towels for rent
• I did some crazy things this summer, but one doesn't have to tree camp to have a thrilling adventure. Simply go to www.ryanair.com and book a ticket to anywhere. If you miraculously land with all your teeth still in your head you'll kiss the first ground you step foot on, and maybe even a flight attendant. They take great pride in arriving on time, and will meet that goal at any and all costs, including a double bounce landing and a dramatic skid into the terminal.

To say it was the best summer of my life doesn't even quite cover it. I'll return to Europe someday, but I'll never travel like I did this summer ever again. 

Having been reunited with Cheez-its (I received 3 boxes as a birthday present from my grandmother), I guess this will be my final post. Even if not a single soul read a word I wrote, it was worth writing so that I have a journal of this summer. But to those of you who did read it (and to Riley Brandon who can literally quote some of my posts word-for-word) thank you. 

Cheers!