I am so sad that this is my last blog, as this means the trip has come to an end. Words can't even explain the time I have had here and the things I have learned. I am so beyond fortunate to have been able to have this experience. Vienna is a great city that I will miss dearly! Never in a million years would I have guessed I would have the opportunity to live in Europe and go to school for three months. It is all still so mind boggling!!
I am leaving here, but I have gained so much. Not only life lessons, but I have learned so much about myself and what I can accomplish. I left America with 15 strangers by my side, and I am coming home with 15 close friends. Each person here has brought something different to our group. Erin brought all types of humor to the group. You never know what she will do or say or sing, hahaha. And I love her for it! Then we have Matt: he is the peace maker, a charmer and just a good guy. He always has a smile on his face and likes everyone for who they are. He is a talented musician who plays his guitar 24/7, and, to be honest, I loved listening to him play all the time. Sometimes I would keep my door open in the morning just to hear him play on his guitar. Matt is a very dependable person, and I will hopefully be keeping in touch with him. Then we have Bobby: Bobby is someone who likes to be in charge all the time. I love Bobby like a brother but we definitely have a lot of different views and opinions, which isn’t a bad thing because it made me learn how to deal with people different from me. Overall, though, Bobby is a good person, and I will miss hearing him and Erin fight.
Next is Murielle. Murielle is the oldest one, the senior, the math major. She is the quiet one and an observer. She is a very good person who just likes to watch the people around her, and I could only imagine how many good laughs she has gotten from our group. She never ceases to surprise me with the things she says and how she will just break out singing and dancing. I am going to miss seeing her in the early morning smiling and singing. Good luck Murielle in the real world!! Then there is Ryan. Ryan is kind of quiet, too, but just likes to have a good time--a good guy that I wish I had gotten to know better.
Then we have Mae and Cristina--I put them together because they are always by each others' sides, no matter what. Cristina is funny and loves to just go out and experience new things. Mae is the quieter one of the two, but in no way is she shy. Mae is a beautiful girl who also likes to have a good time. They won't let anyone bring them down from having a good time, which I admire. Even though at the beginning things might not have started out so well with them, I love them so much and am so happy to have met them.
Another pair that just makes me laugh thinking about them is Mike and Kunj. These two together are characters! Mike is the calmer one of the two and will always be there for you, no matter what. Then we have Kunj (kunjybear); he is the crazy one. You never know what he is going to do or say, but you know whatever it is it's going to be hilarious. Living with these two has given me so many stories to tell people. Being around them was never a dull moment, and I am truly going to miss them! I have to say thank you to them as well. They made me realize that its ok to kick back and do whatever, since we are only young once!
Then there is Sam Cooper, another person whom I wasn’t really close with or really talked to all that much. She is the tough one, the one who doesn’t take crap from anyone. I just started to really get to know her as the trip was coming to an end, but I will say she is a good person. I learned that she is someone who is there for her friends 100%, which I like about her. I know I'll be seeing her around next year.
Then we have my favorite twins in the whole wide world, Chrissy and Ally. I can't even begin to explain how much these two make me laugh. Even though they are twins they are so very, very different. Chrissy is the crazy one; the things that come out of her mouth are ridiculous sometimes, but she never keeps me from laughing. She can make the best facial expressions, too. Ally is a little quieter and not as wild, but also can make me laugh so hard. One of my favorite things about Ally is that she will say something that she thinks is funny and then laugh at herself. Put these two together and just watch them interact, and it’s a brilliant comedy. My favorite memory is watching these two have a fight, a loving sister fight. As they are yelling at each other they are laughing at the same time but just kept repeating how mad they really are. Then watching Ally tear through Chrissy’s closet and take clothes back is even funnier. I would have to say I have become the closest with these two and am excited to spend the summer with them. (They live only 10 minutes from me.)
Then there is the lovely Christina Gallo. She is honestly the nicest person you could ever meet and always has a smile on her face. Christina is someone that I love to be around because of all her positive energy. Christina is another one here that I have become extremely close to and will be staying friends with once we return to America. And then we have Kate. Kate is someone that you can trust and know that she always has your back. She is the one I consider the most dependable of the group and will defend any of us no matter if we are in the wrong or not. Kate makes me laugh with things that she says or comes up with. I love going out places with her because she makes me feel safe. I have always had trust issues with people, but I have to say that Katie has made me gain back trust for people. I will miss her dearly but know she won't let me off the hook that easily, hahaha. She has already told me that, because she won't be able to annoy me first thing in the morning when I am all crabby and hating life over the summer, she will be sending me texts saying “good morning sunshine” when she goes to work...can't wait for that.
Last but not least is Sam Bizon. I was fortunate enough to share this experience with my best friend. I have known Sam since freshman year when we were roommates, and we have been best friends ever since. Sam brought calmness to the group and nutrition, hahaha. She always has that “can do” attitude and is friends with everyone. I love her to death and being here has made our friendship even stronger. Overall, we have become one big, giant dysfunctional family, but I wouldn’t pick anyone else to share this experience with. I will truly miss every single one of these people. I love you all and I can't wait for us to share stories with everyone.
I would also like to thank Carl and Michele so much! You two should truly get some award for putting up with all 16 of us! Thank you Carl for everything, and I am so glad that you were the professor that I got to come on this trip with. Even if your jokes really aren’t that funny. Thanks Michele for all the hard work you put into everything. We never would have had such a good experience like this with out you. You two will truly be a part of all our lives now and forever, because we will all remember this trip and will be talking about what an awesome professor we had and how much his wife did for us.
I also need to thank my parents. Without them none of this would have ever been possible. I am truly lucky and so fortunate to have parents like mine.
To anyone who Is looking into studying abroad: don’t overanalyze, just DO IT! It is the best experience of your life. Yes it is scary at first, but believe me its worth the homesickness that you might feel at first, and it's defiantly worth missing a few FPU parties! JUST DO IT AND DON’T THINK TWICE ABOUT IT.
Well its cinco de mayo, so we are celebrating it by going to eat some of Vienna's Mexican food. Hope you all enjoyed reading our blogs. Here we come, AMERICA.
Stephanie Gilbert
No comments:
Post a Comment