Tissues Please! My semester abroad is almost over

A view from my plane window when I came to Prague four months agoIn a little more than two weeks, I'll be boarding a plane, eating a stale airline role and probably crying a little.

In a little more than two weeks, my European adventure will be over. I'll be back in the states, struggling to find a summer job and fighting with my sister. I'll be able to turn on the tv, order take-out and go grocery shopping without randomly throwing cans that look like something I'd like into my cart. My semester in Prague will be over, and I'll be back where I started four months ago.

Maybe I'm being over-dramatic, because a lot has changed in four months. The experiences I've had have been jaw-dropping. I've been to seven countries and 15 cities from the projects of a Roma settlement in the Czech Republic to the wealthiest street in Paris. I've eaten beef tartar in a four star restaurant on the Seine and counted my euro cents to get a role in Italy. I've skied down the Alps, hiked up the Cinque Terre, walked around Budapest, gone under the fortifications of Vyshred and wandered through the winding streets of Paris. I've missed trains, taken too many buses and walked until there were holes in my shoes. I've laughed everyday, cried only once and felt like I'm the luckiest girl alive every morning when I wake up.

I don't think it will truly hit me until I'm home, whiling away my summer days as a waitress, serving hamburgers and thinking of the way the river sometimes shimmers from the Prague sun. I know it will drip out of me, every conversation peppered with some reference to my time abroad here. I never want to let that go. Time has flown by astonishingly fast, and it's left me disoriented and shocked.

The people I have met here will always be special to me. We've shared so much and laughed through most of it. Even in the most frustrating moments, we all found a way to brush it off and smile. I respect the people here so much because of their adventurous spirits and inspiring ambition. We were all brave in coming here and even braver for boarding our planes and resisting the temptation to find an apartment and stay forever.

NYU did an incredible job of making my semester perfect. The trips I've been on have given me such a diverse view of the Czech Republic, and I'm grateful for those experiences. I wish everyday that college lasted longer so I could fit in one more semester abroad. The email for summer sessions is still sitting in my inbox...

I know I'll turn to this experience often, maybe even dive into my memories and float in them for a day. I'll be sad to leave, but so happy at what I have to bring back with me. The first thing I'll do after unpacking is find some good travel deals. A mid summer jaunt to Spain doesn't seem to far out of the picture.