Well, it took a hop, skip and a jump but I am finally back in the USA! It feels great to be home, and a little surreal at first. I've been home for almost a week but it has flown by. Jet lag has attacked me with a bad cold (possible sinus infection) but it doesn't matter, because seeing my family and friends has lifted my spirits!
As I get ready for this upcoming semester, I haven't had much time to look back and remember the times on Global. It almost feels like it was a very long dream. This blog post, though, will help me reflect on the important lessons I learned and the great friendships I came away from my travels with.
Global Semester was a dream, but a dream come true. When else in my life will I get the chance to circumnavigate the globe, with things mostly planned out for me? Probably never. I am so thankful and feel so blessed to have the opportunity to take this amazing trip. I will never forget Mount Saleve in France/Switzerland, the beautiful mosques of Istanbul, the towering pyramids and hot temples of Egypt, the ECC kids in India, my time with my mom and elephants in Thailand, the hikes in Hong Kong, the Great Wall of China, and the DMZ in South Korea. Phew, that was a run-on sentence, but I could say so many MORE things I will never forget. Good friendships formed, confidence built of my own ability to take care of myself, experiences of hugely different and unique cultures, appreciating God's beautiful work in nature, and so many other things have marked my journey as well. I've learned some tough lessons too: how to have patience to a degree I've never had before (when 30 people are trying to travel and it's extremely slow), how to handle drama in a large group of students who get annoyed with each other at times, how to confront people with my feelings, and that the world around me is much bigger than I thought and I am quite small in it! These lessons are going to stay with me always.
A recurring question people have asked me is, "what was your favorite country?" To answer that I have to cheat because I have two: Hong Kong and India. I loved India for the people there and the lessons I learned about true hospitality (they are the most hospitable and friendly people I've ever met), and I loved Hong Kong because it is such a great blend of ocean, mountains, and city and I've never been anywhere else like it. To the typical second question, "what was your favorite food," I would have to say that I liked Egyptian food--milky rice, koshary, felafel, and shawerma were delicious. I also liked waffle balls in Hong Kong and China though.
Would I do it all over again? Absolutely. Except maybe not for five months straight next time. This trip can never be done exactly the same though. I would love to go back to all of these countries individually someday, and take people with me to see the amazing sights!
So this is officially my last blog post. Thanks to all my loyal viewers (I know who a lot of you are!) and I'm so glad I could share this incredible experience with you all! It has truly changed my life.
