I definitely haven't been keeping up with this thing for the past month, mostly because all of our papers and finals came in the last 3 weeks, so I've been busy. Quick update: Traveled to Paris, London, and Brussels with my parents over my 10 day break and had a blast with them. I also traveled to Latvia with some friends, which was also a good time.
Today is my last full day in Leuven. I have mixed feelings about returning home to Chicago tomorrow. It's been snowing here in Belgium, so the weather isn't what's making me hesitate about returning. I don't think I've ever had to say goodbye to so many people whom I've formed strong bonds with. I had to say goodbye to all of my Finnish friends who I have been fortunate enough to call my co-workers for the past 3 months. Although I only spent two days a week in the office, I came to enjoy going to Parliament just to spend time with the Finns! They organized a going away party for me which I will remember for the rest of my life, only they can understand exactly what I mean. They were such a strong support at Parliament, they were encouraging, fun, and took my sarcastic sense of humor very well. It was really hard to have to say goodbye to them, and I really hope our paths cross again at some point in the near future. If any of you guys are reading this, I love you guys! (uh oh, did I just use that word?)
You really connect with people when you live with them, eat with them, go to class with them, go out with them, go to work with them, travel with them, every day for three months. Given how much time the Leuven kids have spent together, it's amazing how well we've gotten along this entire time. We have been an incredibly cohesive group of people, and I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to spend my time abroad with. We all came from different parts of the country, different walks of life, with different experiences under our belts. Each one of us had different interests, a different history, but we all bonded. The one positive thing I can think of right now is now I have a couch to sleep on in Washington D.C., Boston, or Philadelphia if I need it. We have created so many inside jokes between us that when I return home to Chicago and one slips out, people are going to think I'm crazy. Although I didn't get to spend Thanksgiving this year with my family, in a way, I never missed out on family. The kids here have become my family and I will be forever grateful to all of the experiences that they have shared with me during our time here.
I remember back when I was packing all I could think about was, "My life is about to change in a major way." It is a very scary thought to have knowing that everything you knew was going to be turned upside down. In my very first post before I departed for Europe I wrote, "I am very happy with my decision [to study abroad], and I am wishing, hoping, and expecting it to be a life changing trip." Life-changing trip is an understatement. Over the past three months, I've had the opportunity to chat with people from all corners of the Earth, work in one of the most diverse workplaces I can imagine existing, struggle to understand foreign languages, put the American lifestyle into perspective, and experience first hand a real life history and culture textbook from cover to cover.
My life is about to change again. When I return to Chicago, I don't know what to expect. My friends are all there, and I can only hope our relationships will continue where they left off when I left. I will be graduating college in 6 short months, and will have to figure out what direction to take my life.
When I departed from Chicago three months ago I opened up a new chapter in my life. Now it is time for me to write that conclusion paragraph and close the chapter. The new chapter starts tomorrow.
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