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These past three months in Europe have flown by and I absolutely cannot believe it is time to go home...but I sure am ready! Throughout my time over here in Europe, I have done a lot of self reflection. I have always had a pretty good idea of what I stand for and what is important to me but being over here, all on my own, really showed me what I need to prioritize in my life, and what I would like to focus my energy towards. I can confidently say that the three words/values/morals (whatever you want to call them) that I live by are: Knowledge, Faith, & Love.
Knowledge:
If this trip has taught me anything, it's that I know nothing!! I LOVE where I live in Nebraska and I LOVE the people I am surrounded by however, I do live a somewhat sheltered life when it comes to the rest of the world.I have learned so much about how to communicate with someone when we don’t speak even a little bit of each others languages. I have figured out how to navigate huge cities by using any possible transit, or by foot, in order to get us to a safe destination. I have realized how different the overall moral of citizens of others countries is as opposed to the proud American. Most importantly, I have learned how to appreciate each and every difference in culture that I have come across while being here. I think it is one of the most important things in life to put yourself in situations outside your comfort zone so you can gain as much knowledge as possible during your time here. What’s the fun in staying in your own little bubble? Get out there and open up your mind to all the new perspectives you will encounter and all the incredible cultures you will get to immerse yourself into!!
Faith:
I lean on my family and close friends for almost everything in life. Whether I am happy and want to share good news, or if I need someone to pick me up when I fall down, they are ALWAYS by my side. I was nervous about being away from home for 3 months because I tend to get incredibly homesick but I knew this would be a very important trip for me. All 23 of us on this trip got very close while we were over here however being together every.single.day definitely gets to ya and you need a break every once in a while. Having faith was a key part to my success on this trip. It doesn’t matter to me what or who you believe in, but do it with your whole heart. I feel like before this trip I had faith in God, but honestly kind of half heartedly. I realized on this trip that God was honestly the only person I had at times, when my family was 5,000 miles away and I couldn’t handle being in a group of people any longer, that was where I could turn to. This trip really helped show me just how important this aspect of my life is to me and I am very grateful for that!
Love:
Lastly, spread love like there’s no freaking tomorrow. I could not be more passionate about this trait in human beings. We are so dang lucky to be living the lives we are and although there is so much turmoil and hatred going on in the world right now, I think we should all pay attention to the smaller picture a little more. I am not trying to change the whole world with a smile, but if I can make one random person on the train’s day better by holding the door for them then I am satisfied. While on this trip I have realized to not waste my time on minor speed bumps or drama in life. In my eyes, for every bad/negative thing that happens in someones life there is 1,000 good/positive things. I know sometimes horrible things can happen and it’s nearly impossible to not be sad or mad, but if you can take those situations and learn something from them, in my opinion that is a negative turned into a positive. If everyone in this world spread just a little bit more random love everyday, overtime maybe the general mood of the world can start looking up a bit!
Those are my 3 super cheesy life lessons that I have learned during my time over here. I am thankful for all the hard times, fun memories, laughs, tears, and friendships that I have made while I have been over here. I know I am going back to America changed for the better and that is all thanks to the people and cultures I have been surrounded by. Leaving home for 3 months is something I NEVER thought I would be able to do, let alone learn so much about the world and myself. I am very proud of myself and very proud of my fellow classmates that were on this crazy journey with me!