Well, this day has finally come if you can believe it. After eight months, 242 days, and 5808 hours living away from home in such a beautiful and magical city in the heart of the alps, I'm afraid to say it is now time to resurface back to my social norms in America. As I've mentioned before, I'm feeling so many emotions all at once right now. It's really hard for me to say goodbye to this country which I have had the joy and privilege to live in these past eight months. It seems as if it were only yesterday we all arrived here in Salzburg; jet legged, exhausted, excited, scared, having no idea what kind of experiences lied ahead of us in the eight months to come. I wish I could just stay here and never return, but I do need to go back to America and finish up college, which I'm proud to say that I'm halfway finished with now. Also, need I say, that I'm completely broke and need to find a job for the summer, so don't really have a choice there. But, this year has truly marked a major impact and significance in my life and I don't regret anything I have experienced or learned during my months abroad here.
I have experienced so much change and growth within these past eight months. Deep down inside, I know that I'm still the same Sara who got on that United Airline flight in Seattle on September 7th, ambitious and ready to go out and explore and discover the real world and live her childhood dream of repeatedly watching the Sound of Music. But now, after being exposed to so many new cultures and taking on new challenges and new experiences, this is just the start of a new beginning of my life. I'm now a more independent, confident, brave, and stronger person than I was a year ago. I have gained so many new ideas and thoughts towards life. It has all been worth it. As I look back on all these phenomenal experiences, my heart just fills up with pure joy and and my life feels like nothing but an aura of shinning gold.
Living, eating, having class, and traveling with the same 40 people for 8 whole months was quite a challenge in itself. There were many times we loved each other and times where we just hated each other. But now as we all head our separate ways today to continue being the individuals that we are in this world, I think we have grown to love each other. We all have gained a great deal from studying abroad and living with one another. I'll tell you, this experience has changed all of our lives and we have so many precious memories of this year, both individually and collectively.
So most of you may have heard that I will be living at home in Port Townsend for three months until I go back to Portland at the end of August. I'm really excited to go back to UP with all my good friends, favorite professors, nice co-workers at the Admission's Office, and best of all the Music Department, all which I have dearly missed. After I settle down and get readjusted to the American lifestyle, I need to go look for a temporary summer job. Aside from work, I'm planning to have a very relaxing summer by reading and writing for pleasure, singing, playing piano, taking yoga class, watching movies, and hanging out with friends. Living at home for the summer will be a good way for me to re-transition into my American lifestyle after living abroad for a year. Plus it will be great to see and be around my family and friends back home for awhile.
One of the important things I learned from my year abroad comes from the lyrics of one of my all-time favorite movie and the city I have been living in these past eight months happens to be the film location of this American classic, The Sound of Music. I think all of these words speak for themselves and explain what I've learned this year.
Climb every mountain
Search high and low
Follow every byway
Every path you know
Climb every mountain
Ford every stream
Follow every rainbow
Till you find your dream
A dream that will need
All the love you can give
Every day of your life
For as long as you live
Climb every mountain
Ford every stream
Follow every rainbow
Till you find your dream
And this concludes my blog posts during my time in Salzburg. I will be sure to post a few more when I return to America so that you can see (if you are at all interested) in seeing how the re-transitioning process is going.
Tchuss!
I have experienced so much change and growth within these past eight months. Deep down inside, I know that I'm still the same Sara who got on that United Airline flight in Seattle on September 7th, ambitious and ready to go out and explore and discover the real world and live her childhood dream of repeatedly watching the Sound of Music. But now, after being exposed to so many new cultures and taking on new challenges and new experiences, this is just the start of a new beginning of my life. I'm now a more independent, confident, brave, and stronger person than I was a year ago. I have gained so many new ideas and thoughts towards life. It has all been worth it. As I look back on all these phenomenal experiences, my heart just fills up with pure joy and and my life feels like nothing but an aura of shinning gold.
Living, eating, having class, and traveling with the same 40 people for 8 whole months was quite a challenge in itself. There were many times we loved each other and times where we just hated each other. But now as we all head our separate ways today to continue being the individuals that we are in this world, I think we have grown to love each other. We all have gained a great deal from studying abroad and living with one another. I'll tell you, this experience has changed all of our lives and we have so many precious memories of this year, both individually and collectively.
So most of you may have heard that I will be living at home in Port Townsend for three months until I go back to Portland at the end of August. I'm really excited to go back to UP with all my good friends, favorite professors, nice co-workers at the Admission's Office, and best of all the Music Department, all which I have dearly missed. After I settle down and get readjusted to the American lifestyle, I need to go look for a temporary summer job. Aside from work, I'm planning to have a very relaxing summer by reading and writing for pleasure, singing, playing piano, taking yoga class, watching movies, and hanging out with friends. Living at home for the summer will be a good way for me to re-transition into my American lifestyle after living abroad for a year. Plus it will be great to see and be around my family and friends back home for awhile.
One of the important things I learned from my year abroad comes from the lyrics of one of my all-time favorite movie and the city I have been living in these past eight months happens to be the film location of this American classic, The Sound of Music. I think all of these words speak for themselves and explain what I've learned this year.
Climb every mountain
Search high and low
Follow every byway
Every path you know
Climb every mountain
Ford every stream
Follow every rainbow
Till you find your dream
A dream that will need
All the love you can give
Every day of your life
For as long as you live
Climb every mountain
Ford every stream
Follow every rainbow
Till you find your dream
And this concludes my blog posts during my time in Salzburg. I will be sure to post a few more when I return to America so that you can see (if you are at all interested) in seeing how the re-transitioning process is going.
Tchuss!
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