18. Final Thoughts

My study abroad experience was absolutely incredible. My only fear is that I may have had the best year of my life too soon. Is there anything to look forward to after this? In a word, yes. What I have to look forward to are all the things in my life that will occur because of this past semester. There are so many things that I have learned during my four months in Ghana that will affect my future. To start, I learned so many things about travel and I gained the confidence to travel on my own. In one week I am leaving on a three-week trip around Europe entirely by myself. I’m ending the trip in London, where I will study abroad next semester. I cannot be more excited for what the future holds. I plan to travel a lot in my life, but now I am even more excited to come back to Africa. I definitely plan to revisit Ghana, but I want to visit many new countries as well.

I’m sure any study abroad experience is life-changing, but I think that my semester in Ghana was particularly different because of its location. Everyone should experience Africa once in their life. No matter how I attempt to describe my semester abroad I never seem to do it justice. Towards the end of our semester, the NYU in Ghana admin held a workshop on readjusting to the US. One of the things we discussed in the meeting was how when we get back to the States no one will really understand our experience abroad, no matter how much we talk about it. So far, that seems to be true. Although my family and friends are all willing to humor me when I go on and on about the differences between the US and Ghana, they don’t seem to really care or understand.

The Art of Travel Class has been great because it has given me an outlet, a place to talk about my experience abroad, but I still do not feel that I have accurately explained my time in Ghana. Another reason for this may have been the insufficient amount of time. I was always late writing my articles because I was too busy actually experiencing the country I was in. I was off exploring markets, visiting villages, riding camels in Burkina Faso, etc. The amount of things I did that I would want to write about is so huge, that I find it hard to write about any of it. I think study abroad is an important experience for anyone to have for exactly that reason. If you want to experience the world you have to go out and experience it. You can’t live vicariously through other people’s writing because no one can accurately describe it. Just get out there and do it.

(Photo taken by me in the Sahel Desert in Burkina Faso)

 
I can’t believe that this semester is over. I can still remember the first month when I was miserable and wishing I could go back to New York and be with my friends and eat good food and not have people yell, stare and grab at me when I walk down the street. While these wishes still hold true, I have grown to love Ghana and all its funkiness. It wasn’t really until about a month ago that I truly felt acclimated and realized the beauty of being an obruni. Although the attention definitely made me uncomfortable for a while, it also made me break out of my shell and learn to take advantage of the fact I can walk around without any make up, with my unwashed hair on top of my head with crazy fabric tied in it. In fact I really should do this everyday because when will I ever have the opportunity to do this again?
 
Aside from constantly feeling like a celebrity, I’m really going to miss getting to live in a house with my amazing friends and spending a disgusting amount of time together. I’m also going to miss the 100 degree weather (never thought I would say that, but I’m finally used to it) and also all the cheap prices. Or actually, the lack of set prices, and the constant bargaining for things. Also, getting ‘dashed’ gifts from people like my produce lady who ‘dashes’ me three tomatoes every time I buy four from her. O man, and getting the best pineapple and coconuts on the street everyday for like 30 to 70 cents. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to justify a buying a $5 drink at Starbucks when I could feed myself off that for a week in Ghana. I also know I’ll miss people sharing so much. When ever anyone buys food for themselves on a Tro-Tro, they instinctively offer it to everyone around them. This is such a nice thing as it immediately connects people. I totally want to bring this idea to the subways back in New York, but I have a feeling it won’t go over so well.
 
In addition to food sharing skills, I think patience is another quality I picked up in Ghana that I hope to bring back with me to New York. Between 24 hours spent on a sticky, smelly, broken down bus to waiting an hour for a meal, only to find out the waiter had the order wrong, I am confident that I have become a far more tolerant and optimistic person than I was at the being of the semester. I want to also continue to be more globally aware, even if it means placing myself in uncomfortable surroundings in order to discover new people and things. I want to keep being a doer-just because I’m no longer in a foreign country does not mean I don’t have a ton more to discover. This semester had been truly life changing and I know that I will never forget everything I have learned here and all the amazing people I have met. 

image source: photo taken by me of my group of friends chilling at the school yard we always hang out in on one of our last nights

 

A couple days ago, my friend and I realized that nobody here stares at us anymore.  When we first arrived in Berlin, it seemed like everybody would watch us wherever we went; even if we were alone, it was like the people could tell just by looking at us that we weren't normal Germans.  As far as I could tell I wasn't doing anything to stand out, but there was definitely a vibe that they knew I didn't belong here.  

 

I don't get that vibe anymore.  Either I don't attract attention as an outsider anymore, or I just don't notice the staring anymore.  One way or the other, I have adapted to life in Germany.  There are so many things that I am going to miss from this semester.  My apartment has been fantastic, even if the internet connection has sometimes been practically third-world.  I'm going to miss speaking German in class and out in the city; there's a certain sense of accomplishment that comes from ordering lunch or having a conversation on the subway completely in a foreign language.  I'm going to miss the bratwursts in Alexanderplatz and the crepe man on Friedrichstraße.  

 

I'm going to miss the city itself too, even if it is unreasonably cold and covered in dirty snow.  I'm going to miss seeing the Berliner Dom and Brandenburg Gate (pictured here in all its Christmas glory) and the Park Inn during my daily travels.  I know that for at least a week I'm going to step outside and look for the Fernsehturm to be towering over the rooftops of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, only to see an empty sky.

 

As is the case every time I get ready to leave a place for good, I'm getting sentimental for all the little things that I do here, many of which I just listed.  It reminds me of de Botton's chapter "On Habit," where he describes how adventures can be had even without traveling across the world if we just pay special attention to our surroundings.  I hope that I will take this attitude home with me so that I can truly appreciate being in Lancaster for the winter break, London next semester, and eventually New York City when I finally return to Washington Square.  My time with NYU is taking me to so many amazing places and this class, especially the readings from de Botton, has helped me to be better aware of my expectations and the reality of my experiences so that hopefully these adventures won't pass by so quickly or routinely as they might have otherwise.  Blogging my time in Berlin has certainly helped me to see it with a fresh perspective almost every week, so I am absolutely happy that I signed up for the Art of Travel course.  

 

It will be interesting to go home and find out how exactly I have adapted to German life.  Maybe I behave differently, maybe I perceive other people differently.  I kind of hope that it's a little of both.  This semester is going to stay with me for a long time, and it would be fantastic to go home and realize that I have changed for the better.  Next semester, I'm studying at NYU London, so I can approach my second semester abroad with experience and a special perspective.  I hope to apply the things that I've learned in Berlin and through this course to my time in London, especially the appreciation of the little things that I experience every day.  It's a good lesson to take forward to other experiences, at home or abroad, and probably the most important idea that I'm going to take away from The Art of Travel.  

Every experience can be special with the right attitude.  Now I just have to remind myself of that while I board my plane on Tuesday and fly away from this city I love...

 
NYU got off to the right start by having such a beautiful campus here in Florence; it was truly a treat getting to see such a stunning villa every weekday.
 
The most rewarding aspect of this trip? Seeing more of the world, maybe? I’ve never been to any other country but Mexico (Tijuana, doesn’t really count), and it was such a strange assimilation, putting together everything I had imagined with the reality of it all. I always had an image of Italy in my mind, and finally putting it together with the real thing was definitely jarring. I don’t think literally seeing Italy was actually my most rewarding aspect, but it definitely was one of the most educational experiences of my life so far. I’ve seen and experienced more of the world than I mentally can comprehend, and that’s a very important thing.
 
Spending time with my girlfriend was probably the most important part of this trip to me. Italy was my time to experience something completely new, and share that experience with another. This trip has been the independence of a free man, coupled with the responsibility of one tasked to take care of another. It’s been quite a ride.
 
One thing I lacked this trip was my ability to really organize and plan my days in any efficient manner whatsoever—even days that were slated to be “free days” were sometimes squandered or poorly planned because of my incompetence for taking action. My habit for procrastination got worse as  I lived abroad because I believe that, since I’m leaving soon, I can leave a path of unhandled, unorganized, unfinished shit in my wake that will all be wiped away once I return to my cozy home in America. I wonder if that’s the way mot people feel? Are they as disorganized as me?
 
What was one really big thing I learned? Ah yes, a lesson I learned while watching The Matrix one Sunday morning in Rome (we decided to watch movies instead of go and see the Pope give Mass). I discovered the potential for the question “Why?” Probably the best question you can ask yourself, as it pierces the very heart of your existence as a human being. You commit actions, with or without thinking, and then you question your own behavior. “Why? Why did my being do this action?”  Not really related to Italy, but it did happen while abroad. Guess that counts for something. Right?

If I had actually grown this semester, as I proclaimed I would in my first blog post, then this situation would not have happened. These posts woud have been done earlier, my writing would be more informative, my words more wise. I accomplished nothing I set out to do. I didn't solidify what I wanted to do, I didn't lead a tour group, I didn't become more responsible. I became more dependent on money. I became incredibly lazy and procrastinating. I've become hopeless. I've been waiting for oblivion, for travelling abroad to end, I've been waiting to return to my home, my womb, my cave, my temple of brooding. Maybe not so dramatic, but you get the point.

If I had to keep a journal of my time abroad again, I would do it in a way that it was always worth reading. I would chronicle my changes, my constant questioning "Why?" of myself. I did not do that this time around. Maybe next time. Always maybe next time.

It's been beautiful staying here in Florence. From the first morning I woke here with my girlfriend, it's been the greatest vacation I have ever had in my life. We've lived lives in this 4 month period. We've fought in the streets, drank too much wine, ran down cobblestone streets at night, eaten keilbasa at international markets, toasted under the moonlight, toured exotic islands, swam in crystal blue oceans, visited ancient ruins, and been exposed to more types of people from different walks of life than I've ever encountered. It's been a mosaic of the modern world, all here for the same purpose--to vacation, to have fun, to enjoy what we've been given (or rather, what we've taken). To hell with change. I've had a fantastic time and I will never forget any of it. Change? I've changed more than I even know. And that's when you know that you've really got something going on. At least, I'd like to think so.

I just finished my finals and can finally relax. Actually, I can't just yet because I still need to pack, see lots more in London, go Christmas shopping and finally fly home. As our time in London gets shorter and shorter, and my to-do list somehow gets longer and longer, it's hard to think of anything besides how sad I am to leave. I've never been good with "good-bye"s or "final" anythings. London deserves a proper "see you later". 

This class has helped me articulate my thoughts and feelings while abroad. At times, it's kept me sane or it's been a creative outlet for me to get something off my mind. It was also interesting to read what everyone else had to say. I couldn't help, but compare my experience at times, but I've always come to the conclusion that everything worked out. 

Although I love London, I'm ready to go home. Yesterday, I split a bag of British pretzels with my roommate. The pretzels were white and covered with black pepper - the complete opposite of those golden salted pretzels we're used to. We just looked at each other and cried about how much we missed America. I also regret those subtle and minor comparisons made abroad. Of course we'll experience differences, even those of us who chose to study abroad in London, a country seemingly similar to our own (it most definitely is not), will also experience differences. 

At the beginning of the semester, standing in a five inch puddle in London, I told myself I hoped I'd be happy by the end of the semester. Well, it's the end of the semester and I couldn't be more happy with my time here. 

Caro Firenze,
 
Today, I was sitting in the Library of Villa Ulivi on our NYU in Florence campus.  I had a table next to the window that allowed me an amazing view of the olive trees, the valley that is campus, and the Tuscan skyline beyond. It was quiet. The only noise was the background music I listen to in my headphones while studying. All of a sudden, lamenting the vicinity of my return to The States, I was overcome by an intense feeling of sadness. For the past couple of weeks the talk has been about missing home and longing to return. I have certainly been part of this conversation but this experience solidifies my knowledge that I will truly miss this place. The bella vista on its own is enough to make me long to return but it also reminded me of all the experiences I have had and the knowledge I have gained abroad.

I would love to understand this better. I can’t wait to get home. I am anxious to see family, friends and my girlfriend. I’m excited to see the snow. Excited to enjoy food and conversation nightly with my parents and brother. Also, I’m anxious to enjoy the carefree living that comes with the holiday season. I do long for home but simultaneously, I’m super disappointed to leave this experience behind knowing that it is unlikely I will ever have another like it. Stay or go? Whatever I do results in me feeling melancholy and the feeling of despair I’m certain will exist as my plane revs up Saturday morning on the runway in Milan.

This class has pushed me to analyze and understand phenomena like this that occur while traveling. I’ve gained a greater understanding of how and why I interact with my surroundings.           

Study abroad has also provided me with a whole new toolset of practical street-smart type things. When faced with the exchange rate and the option to eat out or cook every night (this is my semester without a meal plan) I became a much better cook. I’m more efficient in the kitchen and the final product is of better quality. I became a better navigator. Florence is the epitome of an ancient European city with a labrynth-like layout. Nothing in this continent is similar to the grid system of New York where the names of two intersecting streets are all you need to find your way. Here, dead reckoning or being within constant sight of a landmark are you best bets.

Beyond this I am sure I have learned a multitude of other things. Many of which will not become apparent until far into the future, when I recount an experience from Italy for application to a current situation. I’ve traveled to discover the unvisited corners of myself.  My experiences abroad are plenty and it will take time for them to fully sink in.
 
Con affetto,
Benno

-photo taken looking towards Vila Ulivi on the NYU in Florence campus

I find that reflecting on going abroad takes time. How you feel about your experiences, places traveled, people met, the city you live in, changes and evolves throughout the weeks and months following your months abroad. It’s harder for me as well, because I have a horrible memory, but luckily emotions  are things that I can remember. Buenos Aires has been a rollercoaster, which I think that this blog mirrors in some way- completely different from what I expected or from what I heard (guess that is always how it happens). I had known a lot of students who went abroad previously and who had very different experiences of the city that I did. Their Buenos Aires turned out to be very different from my own.

I sit today packing up my stuff in my little room that has become my home. They made a space for me in what used to the youngest daughter’s bedroom- the wallpaper is flowers with a 12-inch trim of bunny rabbits sitting down having a cup of tea infront of their little stone house with a hay roof. I fondly have come to say that I am living in a “Children’s Insane Asylum” and have often contemplated the words that are below the trim “Afternoon tea for you and me” (in English I might add). At times the wallpaper drove me crazy but I have found that like my Buenos Aires experience it is a little strange, quite odd, at times comforting, but at the heart of it just funny. I’ll miss the wallpaper, not as much as I’ll miss the unbearable noise of 20 televisions that waft through the different apartment windows, or the unbearable heat of the tiny box room. I’ll miss home cooked empanadas, kids screaming at all different hours of the night, American music drifting in from down the hall, and the constant sound of my host mother yelling at the kids. I’ll miss the kiosks, the main street of Santa Fe, and my ten minute walk to school. I’ll miss the constant sounds of Spanish, not necessarily the “sh” but I’ll miss Lunfardo and the constant “Veludos” o “Ches” that ring throughout the streets. I will miss the little things, but at the same time I know it won’t be my last time in this country.

Did I grow? I have kept asking myself this in the last week. I definetely changed, got lost on the way even, and I am not sure I found myself or even know who that person is. Sounds existential, its not really. I have one more semester left of university then its off to the real world- whatever that is? Career? Travel? So many open ended questions that I initially thought that If I came down here would be answered, turns out that the opposite happened. More questions just kept piling up. Do I want to work in the States? Essentially what do I want? A friend once told me that “we make our realities.” I call it “magical thinking” (a term taking from the prophetic Joan Didion, I use it in a slightly different way) that allows us to believe that anything and everything is possible if we just believe it is so. I made my own reality here, fashioned it, but then got lost in the numerous realities that I was creating for myself. Number one reality: I have to go home and finish college. Can’t stay down here in mystical traveling land eating carne and drinking cerveza all day.

And last question: did I learn from this blog? In a lot of ways I learned about myself. I am not a journal keeper nor do I enjoy blogging culture. The idea of writing about something when I could actually be doing it bothers me. I rather be out reading than writing. I think I took this class to challenge myself. I do enjoy that I am able to read a trajectory of my thoughts and the varying mindsets that took over on this journey. The time constraints were my “punto debil” or weak point as we say in Spanish. I found myself stubbornly not adhering to deadlines, just because they were there set in place. When I was late I finally had to answer to myself rather than a professor, but in the end I am fine with this as this class was about myself not for a grade. It was an exercise in discipline for me- and I will guard these small reflections on a 4 months well spent. 

With 5 days to go until I head home, it's time to evaluate my time here, this course, and the prospect of going home.

Ultimately, I'm extremely glad I took this course. It was a last minute decision after I found out a friend was taking it. I swore over the summer that I would journal and keep a record of my time in London, but that proved to be a total bust. Luckily, I had this to fall back on in terms of reflecting on my experiences and putting my time here in perspective. It forced to look at my 3 months here from different viewpoints and to keep an open mind. Many of the things I have written about would not have occurred to me without the material that I encountered via this class. It helped to make my time here that much more enjoyable, because it was a class that helped me relate to my time abroad better than any of my other classes. If I’ve learned anything from this class, it’s that there’s a whole world out there waiting for me to explore, beyond New York City and even beyond London.
 
Now, even though I’m in the middle of studying for finals, I’m having mixed emotions about heading home in a couple of days. If you had asked me about 2 weeks ago how I was feeling, the first answer out of my mouth would have been “homesick.” Now that home is within reach, I’m already having withdrawal symptoms at the thought of London no longer being right outside my door or surrounding me on all sides. While I certainly will be glad to be back in New York City, it certainly won’t be the same as London. Rather than being homesick, I now want to spend every last waking hour taking in the sights and sounds of London, rather than cooped up in a coffee shop studying. Unfortunately, that’s not possible with the two finals I have remaining. Blah. At least I’ll have a couple of days between when I’m done with studying and when I leave to get in some last minute London fun.
 
I gave spending another semester here (or at a different abroad site) some serious thought a couple of weeks ago, but then circumstances arose that prevented me from making such a decision. I’m jealous of all my friends that have decided to stay here for the spring semester, and I’m envious of all the plans they’ve already come up with to pass their time here in the warmer weather. I have, however, vowed to return to London in the very near future, hopefully within the next 2 years. I’ve fallen in love with this city and all its quirky obscurities, such as driving on the other side of the road and slang that makes absolutely no sense. It’s certainly a place I feel incredibly comfortable and at home in. I think that’s what’s making it so hard to leave.
 
So here’s to a great semester abroad and an amazing last couple of days before the end of the semester. I hope everyone gets home safely and I thank you for sharing such fantastic stories and allowing me to live vicariously through all of you. And oh yeah (as I tried to convey with my festive picture of the ice rink set up outdoors at Someset House), Happy Holidays!!!

 I'm staying in London next semester, so it's kind of strange trying to get together my " final thoughts". There's no sense of finality to leaving London- I'll be back in a month.  Actually, that's not really true. January will bring a whole slew of new people, and the people I've come to associate with my time in London will be leaving.

There are still a lot of things on my to-do list.  Go to a burlesque show.  Go to a punk show.  Make out with a guy with a cockney accent.  Go to the tate modern.  Go to Hyde Park. 

My best friend from NYU's coming to visit me, and I can't wait to show her around.  I know we'll tear this city up.

I've also made friends ( actual friends, not just random acquaintances) with a group of British kids these last few weeks, so hopefully they'll introduce me to some local places I otherwise might  not have known about.

This class has been a good opportunity to put thoughts that have been floating around my head some structure.  It's kind of like being forced to keep a journal, which is a good thing because I've never been much good at keeping journals.  I always write one or two really long entries and end up with a notebook that's half empty.

The past few weeks have gone by exponentially faster than the first 12ish. In these final few days, everyone here keeps talking about how much they can’t believe that we’re going to be back in the United States in just a couple of days. And while everyone is scrambling around and pulling their hair out about finals, we all have to try to find time to visit all the museums we’ve procrastinated going to and all of our favorite restaurants before we have to leave.
 
The most rewarding part of this whole experience would be simply getting the opportunity to step outside of the singular perspective on the world I’ve held all of my life and be able to live an extended period in a country that is completely foreign to me. Italy may not be considered “exotic,” and you can get by knowing only English with ease, but the culture, the customs, and pretty much everything else is enough to make you understand that there are so many different ways of life in the world. A simple trip to the grocery store, or sitting in a café and people-watching can teach you more than the courses you go abroad to take will.
 
I’m a firm believer that every American should leave the country at some point in their lives. When you live in the bubble of your own country for your whole life, your mental map of the world gets distorted. You might not be able to ever understand certain perspectives on the world. I’m not saying that now that I’ve spent a few months outside of the US, I have gained a new worldly superpower and can empathize with the points of view of all foreign peoples. Of course not. But interacting with people who aren’t American, in a place where I’m in the minority for once, and gathering all these varied perspectives and opinions on my country, has not only taught me a lot about the way Italians see me and my country, but about how people from wherever with vastly different backgrounds can communicate with each other on a completely new and different level. Something that merely being a tourist here would barely be able to scratch the surface.
 
Taking this course has definitely been beneficial. Keeping a travel journal is definitely harder than it sounds. I have one (like a real paper one – yes people still write on paper!), and as good as I was about keeping up with it in the first half of the semester, it is currently only caught up ‘til fall break. Plus, having to discuss things more closely pertaining to the practice of travel, and breaking into all of these rich ideas on this amazing pastime, rather than merely cataloguing events, is rewarding on a deeper level.
 
The worst thing about these final days is not knowing when I’ll ever get the chance to come back. And when/if I do, how different will it be? Europe’s lifeline is wayyy longer than America’s, so change takes on a completely different atmosphere and pace. Here’s hoping I’ll be able to come back to Florence someday, and always find something about it that will bring me back to the past few months.

(Photo above taken by me)

I know my last rant and probably every other post I’ve written would indicate that I had a horrible experience here, but that is just not true. This was probably one of the hardest things I’ve done-- things here just seemed to be exhausting, straining and never kind of panned out the way you’d expect. But these are all lessons you  have to learn at some point in your life and I’m glad they’ve come here. I hate that when bad things happen people need to juxtapose a kind of meaning to them, saying, “well it only made me stronger.” There are certain kinds of adversities that we shouldn’t welcome, like cancer or violence, but there are certain kinds that we need to go through to grow up a bit and to test ourselves, limits and values. How can we be so confident in the traits that we love about ourself if they aren’t fixed and don’t hold up when obstacles get in our way? We all feel strong and proud when things are easy. But it’s nice to know who we are when we feel weak. There were moments here when I honestly didn’t think I could get through all the work I had. Seven, 3,000 word papers in 4 weeks. That just didn’t seem possible to me given the head I was in. I had always been an over achiever in high school and in college and the quality of my work just didn’t feel good, I am a writer and I hadn’t really been writing except on here, I hadn’t been eating right, I just felt like I was dwindling. But I did it, I did all of that work and I finished early and I did it because I had to do it, because it was important to me that I did it and that I did it well. I like that in the end, my ambition will get the better of me-- that was probably most rewarding.

When I get back to New York City I am going to eat, I am going to eat everything and become subsumed in delicious coffee from street carts to Mud Trucks to hippie coffee shops. I think what I’ll do differently there is really become a part of the city. It’s the place that I feel like is my home, that I feel like shaped me as a person more than most things. I want to experience all of it more fully. I want to really look at the streets and buildings that I walk by everyday. I want to figure out why it shaped me the way it has and maybe get to know its history a little better. Maybe pretend like I’m a tourist a little bit..

I’ll always remember playing drinking games in K.’s kitchen where we all ask the same questions over and over again and still remained surprised at the dumb answers we gave during Kings. I’ll remember trying to speak spanish in Barcelona to a woman who clearly spoke English and was just messing with me. I’ll remember all the British crazies in Camden trying to explain America to me. I’ll remember talking to my parents on the phone and pretending that I was having a good time so that they wouldn’t worry about me. I’ll remember feeling closer to my family and friends than ever before, being so far away. I’ll remember the sound of slamming doors in Guilford. The sound of different gaits on the creaky floor. Waking up to cloudy skies every morning. I’ll remember the phrase “Emmy your life is a mess, but that’s OK, you’re a writer.” I’ll remember the student riots and wishing that something like that would happen in America. I’ll remember that everyone in Paris has a vespa, baguette and a cigarette and that I ate the best food I’ve ever eaten there. I’ll remember being around people who were so diametrically different than me and wondering if we could ever be friends and realizing that it was important for all our paths to cross even if just in this temporal world. I’ll remember Tesco sandwiches, digestive biscuits and almost getting hit by a car on a daily basis. I’ll remember it all. I couldn’t have asked for a more meaningful experience. Peace out, London! So long, Scarecrow! Farewell my black balloon! Tell the Queen it wasn’t meant to be, but the tea was good and the neighbors were quiet.

Coming to study abroad in London was kind of like being a freshman all over again. I knew only one other person coming, I was totally unfamiliar with my surroundings, and I was nervous. But, everything was amazingly easy here. Meeting people, finding my way around, and adapting to the culture were fun instead of arduous. I love this city, and it was incredible just to be able to spend a long span of time here. It’s really sad thinking, this is my last Sunday here, this is my last Monday here… Because I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back. It’s weird to think you may never come back to somewhere you spent so much time in.
 
Just getting to know the city was probably the most rewarding part of my study abroad experience. London has so much to offer in terms of theater, music, pubs, clubs, markets, parks, and shopping. I’ve also made friends here that I’m sure I will still hang out with in New York. I think I’m going to miss this smaller community, where everyone lives if not a floor away, then a five-minute walk away. I’m not sure I really faced any problems here. I mean our room is small and for a couple of weeks we couldn’t use the laundry room, but overall, I’ve had a great experience.
 
I think when I go back to New York, I’m going to try and take advantage of all it has to offer more. My freshman year there I think I was so busy just adjusting to the city that I didn’t really explore all the great things it has going on. I’m excited to get to know it like I got to know London. Of course, having things open past 11 p.m. will also be nice.
 
I think I’m going to remember going to the Thames Festival, which I highly recommend to everyone, taking walks along the Thames, spending time with friends at pubs, and fall break the most. But, I’d like to remember just how it felt being here. London has a very particular atmosphere, one that I love, and I hope that I’m able to remember that.
 
This course really helped me not only keep track of everything I was doing, but also reflect on it a little bit. I’m glad I did it, and I’m sure I’ll be glad I have these posts to look back on. 

(photo by me)

Last night, one of my friends pulled out his Prague guidebook for the first time all semester. He started reading descriptions of museums and restaurants aloud to everyone in the study-room.
“This one has live jazz on the weekends!” he exclaimed of one restaurant.
“We won’t be here for the weekend,” came the reply. Ouch. No, we won’t.
 
With papers still due between now and Friday, I’m trying not to think about leaving. I can’t give you final thoughts; my thoughts are all on my finals. Over the next four days I need to:
-watch the Geminid meteor shower
-write a 20 page paper
-visit 2 parks
-visit one last museum
-eat Czech food with friends
-attend the last dorm potluck
-paint on the Lennon wall
-do Christmas shopping
-pack
 
I feel pretty good about my semester. Listening to my friend read through the guidebook, I realized that I’ve been to a lot of the places listed and a whole lot more that aren’t. Beyond that, I’ve had adventures with friends into the suburbs and out of the city. It’s been wonderful; I really feel like I’ve made the most of my time here. A friend from the dorm mentioned yesterday that he wishes he had gotten out more, and he admitted that he has yet to visit the park behind our dorm or the bar/restaurant on our street. ‘Let’s go for a walk! We can stop in the bar for soup after!’ I wanted to offer, I really did, but he had already fallen back into the television show he was watching over his study break. Oh well.
 
Everyone is cramming and writing and wishing that they had gone out more. Even having been out a lot, I’m wishing I had been out more. Maybe if I knock this last paper out of the way early I’ll have at least one day to relax. I’d like to say a proper good-bye to Prague. It’s been good to me, and I’d like to say thanks.

This travel course has been a really helpful reflective tool; it has made me step back every few days and view where I am in a different light. I found the de Botton reading from last week particularly interesting, the one about travel being a state of mind. In my last days here in Prague, I have been trying to walk around with a critical eye and take everything in as if I were seeing it for the first time. That being said, the rest of this blog won't be dedicated to discussions about my abroad site per se, but about one of the particular frustrations that I encountered while being abroad. I found that communicating with the advising office over something as simple as getting cleared for registration invariably turned into a giant headache. Enough of a headache for me to write a letter to the administration, and I was wondering if you could provide your thoughts, if this encapsulates any of the similar frustrations you had while abroad. I wish that these frustrations weren't some of the experiences that stick out about my time here.
 
To Whomever Might Bother To Be Concerned:
 
My time in Prague has been one of the most life-changing experiences I have had up to date. It has been thrilling, at times stressful, but mostly lovely. I only wish that I felt that I had the support of my Gallatin community back in New York. I wish that I hadn’t felt frustration with the advising center. I wish I didn’t have to start all of my second and third un-responded-to e-mails with “I know you’re busy but…” I wish that I felt that you would even read this, or spend the time to do anything about what I have to say.
 
The Linguistics department has been everything I wish Gallatin could be. I am still in close contact with a TA I had freshmen year, who helped me get into a class I needed to skip the prerequisite for, who helped me with learning about graduate programs in my field, who helped me pick out courses for the spring semester. Or the professor I had all last year who is so approachable, so reliable, and answers all of my e-mails. And even offers to discuss my future with me. There I feel truly supported and encouraged, and I feel like I am listened to. They are my de facto advisers. I wish you could emulate this nurturing environment. I wish you had the time to.
 
But I am okay with receiving my academic advice from the Linguistics department; that’s the field I am pursuing anyways, those are the contacts I need to make. But if university policy mandates that I get a stamp of approval by my advisor for everything I do, then I demand that I get that stamp of approval within a reasonable amount of time. Two days before my registration time, when I was rightfully worried that my advisor had disregarded all of the e-mails I had sent over the preceding fifteen days, I decided to call the advising office. I wish I could show you the screen-cap of my Skype call history. At 3pm Tuesday your time, I had to try eight numbers before I could talk to someone. I wonder where everyone was. I would like to think every single person I tried to call was busy helping a student. I wish I could convince myself of that.
 
During my anxiety-laden time preparing for a competitive scholarship application, I had to seek outside help of a University of Chicago professor for advice.  Once my NYU e-mails were addressed and I was finally put into contact with someone that could help me, I had the pleasure of communicating with Nicole Cohen who not only took pains to schedule a phone conference, but helped me during my essay editing process. I wish she received more recognition for the good work she is doing at Gallatin.
 
I hope that you receive this letter well, and that you take into consideration my voice. I wish I didn’t have to write this letter.
 
Sincerely,
N1********
 
(my N number is omitted for security reasons, but I plan on fully including it in my emails out).

For the last blog entry of the Art of Travel course, I am offering some final thoughts and evaluations. 

I’m happy I took this online Gallatin blog-based course. When I was in Paris over fall break, I had an entry coming up about place and as I was walking down the cobbled streets with my good old friend, I was going over the several ideas I had of what to write on. In my opinion, I told my friend, a blog is somewhere in between a diary entry and a short essay. It’s about the same length as a diary entry and they both have a sort of informal feel in how they read, but like a short essay I pointed out, blogs usually come full circle- what you start out on and explore for a few paragraphs ends up having to do with the message you walk away with. Why is this a satisfying course to be in? It’s satisfying because the material is relevant to our everyday musings, while for me at least the format challenged me to think about the significance or the message underlying the menial everyday thinking trails. 

I really took advantage of some things the city had to offer like plays and musicals and concerts and all the rest. I realize here, I had two or three things like that going on each week. I grew up in a city that has just as many great things to offer and I rarely take advantage of them. I want to go out to discover this side of my city and take advantage of these sort of events more than I have in the past when I’m back home. 

I think years from now I’ll remember how scared I was when I got here and thought “Oh no what am I doing?” despite how sincere my decision to come felt. And I’ll remember how not only did I survive, I thrived. I’ve made some very close friends that have made my day to day life in London what its been. I’ve done better in any premed course that I’ve taken so far and I’ve established a pace to my life that feels like my own. 

I hope in the future NYU will make low cost housing options and include my room which is a fifth of the size of everyone else’s as one of them. 

Photo by me.