A Final Farewell

In three days time, I will no longer be living out of a suitcase, parading around Europe like I own the entire continent. I will no longer be able to enjoy the sweet sound of another language coming out of my waiter's mouth, nor the puzzled looks said waiter gives me when I order in English. I will no longer be able to fly to three different countries for less than a train ticket, nor heave a heavy suitcase on my shoulder in order to sprint to the bus that I am already 15 minutes late to. I will be at home, back in Nebraska, with only my souvenirs, my pictures, and my memories to remind me of the last three months. It is a bittersweet feeling. On the one hand, I love traveling around Europe. The amazing history that permeates throughout the streets of every little town and village, the friendly faces of friends and teachers that helped to make our semester abroad a trip to remember, and the wonderful food, oh god the food, will be steeped in my memories for a long time coming. However, on the other hand, it will be good to get back home, to see loved ones and relatives and to finally shave my face (my trimmer broke two months back and I look like a bedraggled homeless man now). I will miss the majestic buildings and beautiful architecture of the cities we've visited. I will miss the small laughs our professors made when we attempted to speak Czech to them. I will miss the long bus rides with friends as we chat and laugh and sleep like a family all our own. This semester has taught me a lot, not only about the Czech Republic and its neighbors, but about myself as well. I came into this experience hoping for a break from the hustle and bustle of life back home, a pause in my newly begun adult life. While this trip did succeed in that aspect, it also taught me that while I may not have everything planned out at this point, there is always time to take a break and enjoy the world for what it is while I still can. To worry about the future is to not live in the present, and the present is what counts because there is no guarantee of tomorrow. As I sit in a Viennese hostel, the lost stop on our three month journey, it is hard not to recall all the great and not so great memories of the last few months. From stepping on to that plane in Scottsbluff amid teary goodbyes from my parents three months ago to me stepping on the plane in Vienna in three days, it feels as if the trip of a lifetime has come around full circle. And yet there is still so much to do. The last few days I have in Europe, I will be exploring the beautiful city of Vienna. Museums, art exhibits, cafes, and of course the hostel to write the 12 pages of homework I put off til the end of the semester (please someone, kill me now). It has been a long time coming, and yet here we are at the end of our journey and it still hasn't sunk in just how close we really are. Three days, that's 72 hours (minus a few) and I will be boarding a plane, headed back for the states and a home that seems so very far away right now. It will be good to see those I love and cherish once more, but still I feel that sinking feeling in my chest that tells me that my heart will again yearn for Europe once I am stateside again. It'll be strange not being able to order beer at dinner, buy plane tickets for nine dollars, or catch a tram to the city center. It will take some adjusting when I return home. Having my own vehicle and being on my own time schedule will be a nice change. However, I already know I will be back to Europe sometime in the future. The continent is far too interesting and filled with history for me not to want to return. And with that, my blogs are complete. No more intricate details about everyday life abroad, no more stories of vomit or random acts of violence. I am homeward bound, but I promise to return one day and finish my tour of the continent that has held my interest for the last six years.