hang on a second.

Wow. I can't believe this semester is already so close to being finished! I just wrapped up my two hardest exams back to back, and now I'm giving myself a little break to breathe, pack, and maybe even catch up on some sleep. Because the next few days are about to be a whirlwind.

There are so many things I'm excited for in America. If all goes to plan, my parents will be greeting me in the airport with a Chipotle burrito and there will be a gallon of milk waiting for me at home. I'm excited to spend ALL WEEKEND with my best friend and catch up with other friends from Miami who live in Columbus! I'm excited to see my family and especially Luke since I haven't seen him in who knows how long. I'm excited to speak exclusively English, read signs, order food, ask questions, ect. I'm excited to have unlimited texting. I'm excited to leave my bedroom door open and walk around my house with my lights on. I'm excited for free water with ice in restaurants. I'm excited to drive my car! I'm excited for all the clothes I left at home. I'm excited for church and Cru and KD fellowship and all my fellowship at Miami! And I'm excited for a social life in Oxford where all my friends live within walking distance of each other.

But in some ways I'm also nervous about coming home. I might not recognize all the ways yet, but I've grown as a person this semester. I have definitely recognized in myself a more global way of thinking about the world. But while I may have a new perspective, home is going to be the same. And at the same time it is going to be so different because life in America didn't stop when I left.

I'm not so excited to leave the relaxed European lifestyle for faster paced America. I'm not excited for random, un-spendable change due to taxes on everything I'll buy. I'm not excited for America's culture of drinking (that it can be so out of control, that it's made into such a big deal, and that the drinking age is 21). I'm sad to be leaving just when I feel like I turned a corner in being willing to learn and speak French. I'm sad to be leaving a place where I can hop on a train and some hours later be in an exciting city in a different country.

This semester has certainly been an amazing experience. It's not exactly what I thought it would be, and honestly if I did it over again I might have gone out on a father limb and attended a program not so attached to Miami or America. But I got the opportunity to travel that I may never have again in my life, and I am so thankful for that!

All that to say... here is a recap of my last few days in Lux:
- Researched and wrote an 11 page paper on Economic and Monetary Union in Europe using the primary documents that set up the EMU as my sources. Oh, in 9 hours. In one night. The night before it was due. Nailed it.
- Mudec Final Dinner Awards Banquet (affectionately called Mudec Prom) was on Friday night. Everyone from the program got all dressed up for dinner and some dancing and it was a good time... despite the fact that the bar only played salsa and strange 80s/disco music.
- Went to Trier Christmas Market in Germany on Sunday afternoon. It was PACKED and I ate a lot of yummy bad food and ran into my political science professor who lives in Trier.
- Buckled down to study! So far I've taken my European Union poli sci final, Rise and Fall of Hitler final, and Intro to Poli Sci final. So all the tough ones are out of the way! There is only French tomorrow, but I'm not worried.
- I'm trying to pack, and I'm really hoping I can keep it under the weight limit! I bought less things than I thought this semester sooo fingers crossed!
- We leave tomorrow (Wed) night at midnight from the chateau to Dusseldorf airport. Our flight doesn't leave til noon on Thursday. That is going to be rough. But I should arrive in Columbus by 9pm on Thursday! I wonder how finals week caffeine dependency is going to work out with jetlag. Uh-oh.

Wish me luck on the rest of finals and I'll try to get one more post up once I get home. To everyone who's been reading this: thank you and I hope you've enjoyed my European experience!