This summer has been life changing. I have learned so much about so many things; it is hard to think of how I once was. I know random phrases in about 10 different languages. I know about a hundred random dates in history. I know exactly how AtatΓΌrk saved Turkey. I know four different pillar styles in ancient Greece and Rome. I know how to differentiate art styles from the Greek archaic and classical eras. I know intricate details of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, and the Ottoman Empire. I know how to not get pick pocketed. I know how to haggle. I know how to wrap a turban. I know how to get around using any type of public transportation. I know how much a simple smile and a hand over your heart can change someone’s attitude. I know that laughter is universal. I learned the difference between vacationing and traveling.
But, if there is one thing I’ve learned on this trip, it’s roll with the punches and go with it. Everything can and will go wrong, but there is rarely anything you can do. Whether it’s ending up in Florence at 1am with nowhere to stay, buses or trains breaking down, missing your flight due to strikes, or having your English speaking tour guide call in sick… you can’t do a single thing. So laugh it off, hop back on that camel, and go with it!
Being home SUCKS. Sorry mom, USA, A&M, my friends, but it does. I miss having my food cooked for me. I miss being a 30 second walk from my best friends. I miss wandering and bumping along the halls of the MV Explorer. I miss Rey Rey cleaning my bathroom. I miss the ocean, the history, the adventure. I miss the sunsets and sleepovers. I miss getting rocked to sleep on the waves. I miss the interesting courses. I have a severe case of homesickness for the ship, that’s all there is to it. I love A&M and America, but there is so much more out there that we can’t experience. When I was in Boston, those “old” houses were babies compared to what I have seen. Which would you choose- a church built in 1689 or a temple built in 570 BC? America is great, but it’s not rich. You don’t get the same experiences here, you can’t learn as much.
So now, what exactly is next on my itinerary? Besides aggie football season, getting through my classes (microbio and anatomy was a terrible idea), and getting into nursing school, I’m just getting ready for the next grand adventure. All of us SAS Summer ’11 Alums besties are getting together for Christmas in Colorado and Las Vegas in May. Right after that, who knows? I will be going somewhere next summer though, but as I stated before, things that get planned never work out. So Brazil, Cambodia, China? Who knows, but it will happen. And it will be amazing.
