Before leaving for my semester abroad, I cried as I packed up my apartment and said goodbye to my friends staying in Pittsburgh; sad that I wasn’t sure the next time I’d see them. While in college, chapters open and close like clockwork, so I’ve gotten used to goodbyes. While I turn the next page, Winne the Pooh’s “how lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard” always comes to mind. I was lucky to even have the chance to experience a semester abroad and I am even more lucky that I loved it so much.

Right now, I am reflecting in the same place I started my journey- the Boston airport. After landing here from Munich, and staying a night with a friend, I am about to take my last flight before seeing my family for the first time in 4 months. My travels home have been smooth so far until a few minutes ago when security pulled aside my bags. I was nervous that I accidentally put my dad’s personalized swiss army knife gift from Switzerland in the wrong bag, but luckily that wasn’t the case. The very kind TSA security guards rifled through the tote bag with all of my trinkets, museum tickets, city maps, and postcards. It turns out, a glass barratte from Venice and a jar of pepper jelly from my favorite panino shop in Florence were the points of suspision. There wasn’t much of a line behind me, so the security guards took their time, cracked some jokes, and asked about the items they saw. Seeing the last 4 months spread across that table made me smile ear to ear. It truly went by in the blink of an eye, and there it is laying on the table at airport security. That’s got to be some sort of metaphor, right? One of the TSA guards was Albanian- she said she was visiting Rome and Florence in a month. Only two days ago I referenced the amount of Albanians that immigrated to Italy in 1991 during my Global Cities final exam. We talked about paninos in Florence, and she mentioned her favorites. I wish I could have chatted with her more.

I walked away from airport security realizing how much I have gained in not only trinkets and and postcards, but in myself, too. (Though I did walk away from security without my pepper jelly, RIP). I noticed that I am carrying myself differently. I am sure of myself in a way I wasn’t before. I have made friends in the most unlikely places across Europe, so surely I can make more here. I have been flexible in uncertain situations and taught myself to walk away with gratuity always. I learned how to keep a smile on my face and when that smile wasn’t coming from a genuine place, that that was okay and I should listen to it. I learned that my intuition is there for a reason, and very rarely does it lead me astray. If I have uncertainty in a situation, I learned how to ask for help and to trust others. There are way more people willing to help you than you may think.

I also learned that everything is connected. This semester, my courses heavily influenced how I was living and the choices I was making. It was important to stay curious during any sort of lecture- from art history to sustainable sourcing- because the opportunity to go to a museum or farm where the topic can be seen was always there. After following interests that stemmed in the classroom, its easy to make connections that can lead to professional opportunities too. Upon a professor’s reccomendation, I took a day trip to Prato to see a museum exhibit on the sustainability of texile manufacturing.  Again, listening to that intuition and to interests. If you care about something, that should be reason enough to learn more.

I couldn’t be more thankful for this experience. It was over in the blink of an eye, feeling a little bit like a dream. I miss it so much already but I know I will be back and the person I have become will remain.

Thanks for reading,

Brooke Eyler