"Home"

I know that we're not supposed to write our reflective blog until we've had time to settle and realize how we've changed, but I want to capture some of my immediate reactions to returning to the United States.

I was at first so overwhelmed with happiness because of how friendly and helpful Americans are. Hearing so much English in the airport was irrationally exciting. I had pretty awful time getting home due to one canceled flight and one extremely delayed flight, but despite my misery trying to sleep on extremely uncomfortable airport chairs, I was reminded at my competence in traveling. I learned a lot about the best ways to travel this last semester, so this last set of difficulties during my return journey was kind of like the ultimate challenge that I passed!

Seeing my dad at the Austin airport made me so happy it almost hurt. Sleeping in my bed from high school was sooo nice. When I pet my cat for the first time in 5 months, I felt like he was a hallucination because he was so wonderfully soft and beautiful and perfect.

Now that I've been home for a few days and I feel a bit settled, I already feel like the trip to Germany wasn't real. The wonderfulness of the whole semester is just incongruous with the daily reality of my life in Texas and my brain is having trouble transitioning. I feel as though I matured greatly last semester and the people I'm interacting with now haven't realized it yet. I don't want my life to return to exactly how it was before studying abroad. I'm finding that I'm going to need to make a conscious effort though to avoid sinking back into the comfortable habits of my previous life. I enjoyed the independence I had in Europe so much and I foresee a minor struggle to maintain this sense of singularity that I cultivated in Germany.

Despite this transition, I am so grateful for my family. I have a new appreciation for how nice and clean my house is, the joy of driving a car, eating good 'ol Southern cooking by my grandma, and the warm and loving environment that pervades every space I co-inhabit with my family.