I will not accept the fact that I am going home in four days. I just won’t allow it. I know that I should be reminiscing on my time spent in Dublin, but I honestly do not think that a teary, eons-long post about how much this experience has meant to me (hint, hint: it’s meant the world to me) is helpful to anyone, so I’m going to try and think about all of the things that I miss about living in Pittsburgh. Maybe then I can convince myself that it might be okay to leave, so I can go back to the things that I miss.

1. Family and Friends – Fairly self-explanatory; all of the important people in my life are in the city right now (even my parents are in town while I’m away).
2. Heinz Ketchup – I never realized how much of a ketchup snob I was until I came here. There are some places that serve Heinz, but it is not a regular find.
3. Driving – I have a 2007 Hyundai Sonata named Dave that is awaiting me upon my return. I just really hope that I can stick to the right side of the road!!!
4. Sheetz – Now I am a fierce Sheetz over Wawa believer (you cannot get mozzarella sticks at any time of the day at Wawa), and I could really go for some right about now.
5. The View from the Fort Pitt Tunnel – One of the most iconic Pittsburgh views is the view upon exiting the Fort Pitt Tunnel. It takes my breath away every time, and it might be super sentimental of me, but I’m really looking forward to seeing it again.
6. Pitt Band – Now, school may not have started yet but band season officially kicks off next week, and I am beyond excited to see all of my fellow bandies again.
7. The Basement of Mervis Hall – Now, hear me out. Every college student has that one place where they love to study and get work done. I stumbled upon the Mervis basement cafe last year when I had a class on the same floor. I haven’t much official school work to do this summer, but I miss having that space to just go and get things done.

These are just a few of a much, much longer list of things that I miss from Pitt. It’s a weird feeling; to be in a place you don’t want to ever leave, but to long for a place you cannot wait to get to fast enough. At this final leg of my journey, I just want to throw out some advice / words of wisdom for anyone who’s reading these posts to determine if they want to study abroad on this program or even at all. I would like to tell anyone who is considering studying abroad to go for it. It’s a big time commitment; it’s a long way from home; and you will definitely spend all of your money. But the friends you make abroad, the times you have, the person you will become are all waiting for you out there in this wide-open world. Take the chance, take the leap. If you think it’s your time, then it is.

I will see you all in Pittsburgh in four days! If you need me, I’ll be in the City Centre, soaking it all in before I must go.