As I sit here in Amsterdam airport, where I will soon be boarding my plane to Chicago… I reflect back on my experience here in Europe! I am SO SO SOOOOO lucky that I have been able to come here… and on top of that, I formed amazing relationships with people here, that I could never forget. I was able to experience fabulous places throughout the continent, but these experiences would not have been half as fun, or half as amazing without the people that I was able to share them with. I never thought I could meet so many people who are so kind, sincere and of course, FUN as I have met here. There are few and far between, and somehow, they were all placed in the same place, at the same time… to share magical moments that we could never forget! I shed tears as this bittersweet moment hits me harder, the more I write. I can’t believe how excited I am to go home, as I SERIOUSLY miss home… my family, the comfort, my friends, just everything… there TRULY is no place like home! I LOVE home, but I never thought being so far away for so long, would make me want to hug my house… and you better believe I’m going to… I’m still trying to decide if I’m going to hug the outside, or the inside… food for thought on my long plane ride to Chicago I suppose! I really miss a lot of things from the States… family, sports, English… I could literally go on forever! But, not having the comfort of home and the States, made me learn many things, which will forever stay with me and help me… I grew up… even more than I already was! Through all this growing up I did… I had SOOOOO much fun… I never thought I could have this much fun… it has been unbelievably fun! I know I was here to “study” but there was very little of that as I was busy enjoying my time here! I did well, as school was NOTHING like real college… it was almost like high school. Classes were fairly easy, and all the kids talked like crazy in the classes. They also had attendance… WHAT!? You say… yes they took attendance, and if you missed more than three classes, you failed the class! It was because the kids that attend school there… their parents didn’t like that their kids weren’t going to class, and they were paying for them to go to school there! I couldn’t believe my ears when my French teacher told us this… unbelievable!!! I thought it was the most absurd thing I had ever heard in a University, until I heard that the kids’ parents payoff teachers to give them good grades… and the kids cheat like it is nobody’s business… good golly! Sooo… with this being said, I refuse to cheat, I do not believe in cheating… so I could have done better in my classes, had I written the exact answers on my hand before the exam, or take a picture of the exam on their iPhone and copy it (somehow the kids got a hold of the exams and sent around pictures of the exams to students that contained all the answers)… this school was really something else… but I guess it’s just the way it is over here! This school made me appreciate real classes back home, that actually contained useful information, where I was tested on my knowledge gained from the class, rather than my abilities to cheat… I never thought that would be possible! Needless to say… the school aspect was my least favorite part (go figure)! France itself taught me more than the University did… like for example, I am a pro hover over toilets now, because in Europe, they don’t put toilet seats on the toilets… odd!? Yes… and a lot of the bathrooms aren’t exactly clean most of the time, so I learned quickly how to avoid sitting… France also taught me how courteous Americans are for the most part… because generally speaking, the French are not very nice to people… they are also very inconsiderate… which is something I miss from the states! I met some very amazing French people that do not fall into this category, but generally speaking… the vast majority aren’t very nice! I am sure some of you are curious as to how my French came along while here… well, I can understand WAY WAY more than I can speak… French is a very tough language, and very different from German…. Although when going to Germany, my German improved, and I found out how much I actually knew and could communicate. So overall… my language skills in the Foreign department improved greatly… but my English went down hill… I found myself speaking English, German, and French all in the same sentence, MANY MANY times!!! I also have been misspelling words like crazy (I have to write this in a word document, until I acquire my English skills again)… I even started forgetting how to say things in English… my native tongue, going down the tubes!!! Hopefully when I come back… I will regain my abilities to speak English correctly before going back to school. I can’t just throw out German and French while talking or writing… going to have to make a conscious effort to fix this! France also taught me how many creeper men are out there in the world… good gosh, I am SOOOO glad I had pepper spray everywhere I went… the men there are very persistent and desperate… it was a little scary at times, but I made it through safely! The best thing I learned while over here… is how big the world is, but yet so small. It has so many magnificent things to offer, but it is still so small… I met people who know people I know… and it is just SO WEIRD!!! It’s a small world after all… I truly have learned SO very much about life, myself, culture, and the world… I wish I could describe it all!!! The bittersweet taste I have becomes stronger and stronger the more I think about both sides… I am not sad that it is over, I cherished every single moment here, and I have absolutely no regrets of anything!!! I did almost everything I wanted to do… I met some absolutely amazing people… and of course, I had an absolute BLAST!!! I never really got homesick, as I decided at the beginning that I would rather be enjoying every moment than thinking of something that wouldn’t happen for a few months… so I never got homesick! Of course, I missed home, but I never got homesick… I wanted to be here more than anything else, and I knew it would only last a short while! I wanted to cherish every moment I was able to get my hands on! Although this is really no different than my outlook on life… I knew it would be a little harder to obtain my main objective when I live… which is to live in the moment… every moment should be your happiest moment!!! I love being happy… who doesn’t so that’s exactly what I do… /did! I made sure I was happy, of course I had a few brief moments of missing, but I never really gave it a chance to set in… I decided against it at the beginning and stuck to it!!! So… with that being said, you can only imagine how much fun I had while I was here!!! If anyone who is reading this, and is in college considering studying abroad, I HIGHLY recommend you do… don’t be afraid, it is the best few months I have ever experienced, and I know it will be the same for you… message me anytime, and I have great advice for you, even programs that you can go through… please let me know!!! I will bring this blog to a close… and this is it forever… I will not continue blogging any longer, as my facebook is my day-to-day update!
Here, I will take the time to thank my very special and dear mother… who allowed the tiniest Scott to explore the world… and she even came over to see me… along with my amazing and AWESOME big brother (Nicky) and my fabulous and caring sister (Jackie)!!! I wish I could thank you more Mom… I know your reading this… and I don’t know if there is anything I could ever be able to do or say that would allow for me to express my appreciation and love for you… you are absolutely the best mother!!! Thank you for everything!!!
And thank you to everyone who has given me support throughout this experience… all of my friends back home, and the ones I have met… as well as my family and friends that followed me… I love you all… you are all AMAZING people!!!
Please, have a very safe and merry Christmas!!! I will be celebrating Christmas tonight with Dad’s family, and I couldn’t be more excited to see my family… I was skyped into Mom’s side last night, although I really wished I could have been there!!!
I can’t wait to see everyone and I tell everyone of my spectacular adventures here in France/Europe!!! I will be home soon… and I can’t wait!!!
LOVE TO EVERYONE!!! God bless!!!
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