Nobody tells you how hard it is going to be to say goodbye to your study abroad experience. For me, it was a moment I dreaded throughout the whole program, I knew it would be bittersweet because I was meeting my mom to travel for the next three weeks, but I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to all the wonderful people I met during my time in Dublin. My last week flew by in a bustle of finals and last hugs; as I took off from Dublin for the last time I took a moment to breathe in everything that I have experienced in the last 3.5 months. There are no words for how much I have grown as a person during my time abroad. Before Ireland I never would’ve traveled alone to a new country and 3 months later I have done it twice and wish I’d done it more because I have found so much joy in traveling on my own. I have gained office skills and life skills that will be extremely important to me moving forward. It was an experience of a lifetime and I am forever indebted to the wonderful country and people that accepted me for the first months of 2019.
For now, I am still in Europe traveling from country to country with my mom. So far, we have visited five different countries (Germany, Switzerland, France, England and Wales) via train, plane, boat and automobile. We are halfway through our 23-day adventure and we are happy exhausted ladies. Each day brings a new adventure and a higher step count than the day before. One bad thing about a heavy travel experience post studying abroad is I have a huge suitcase of clothes that I’m dragging around with me, and so far, the sweaters I used in Dublin for 3.5 months have not been used because we’ve had beautiful weather.
My favorite part of the trip so far was journeying around Geneva during our time in Switzerland. Our hotel provided us with a pass so that we could take the water taxi across the water, which was an exquisite way to see the Lake and everything the town had to offer. Our last day we climbed to the top of Geneva’s Cathedral, Saint Peters and got a stunning view of the city. Below are a couple photos from Geneva including the Jet D’eau and the Flower Clock along with a picture of the stunningly clear water and the skyline of Geneva from the top of Saint Peters.
