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You know that feeling, when you step off of a plane? You take your first breath of fresh air (or not-fresh air), and you go hey, that reminds me of ...

yeah, I got that feeling when I stepped off of my plane in Salt Lake City. I hadn't smelled that Utah air for almost six months. Boy, did it feel good!! It was really a great moment for me, coming home. Seeing all my family and friends at the airport, being able to hug them and talk to them without frozen voices and twitching faces (I mean, like how it is on Skype most of the time... haha). Yeah, that was really nice! However, it was also so sad. I stepped off that plane, and thought.. my journey is over. I am far from my my other home. I am far from my other friends. I am far from my other family. And then I realized, I will always be far from something I love. I can't be in two places at once. I can't bring together the incredible Utah mountains with Germany's endless fields. I wish I could, but I can't. 

However, since I have been home in Utah, I have been able to share a lot of my experiences with people I love here. I have been able to see, even more in depth, how much I have grown as an individual. If anyone should ask if they should study abroad, I wouldn't hesitate. YES OF COURSE. I would recommend, and even highly advise ANYONE to go, and to study abroad. Even if you find you can't be away from home like that, even if you find that sort of thing isn't for you. If you have the desire and the resources, GO!! There is no way you won't grow as a person.

I honestly grew in EVERY aspect of my life. But the biggest, to me, was spiritually. Particularly, coming closer to God. Because, well, at times of loneliness and confusion, God is always there. That's one of the many comforting things I learn through the gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But more than that, in times of happiness and success, God is still there. Christ can be your greatest friend, your comforter, your hope, your example, your foundation, but only if you let Him. I am sorry to turn this blog post into a testimony, but without my experiences of being abroad, I would not have this strong of a testimony to share. I would not be planning on giving 18 months of my life to serve God. I would not be the happy and changed person I am today. and...You would not be reading this.

The things I learned about myself ranged from bad to wonderful... some of them were surprising, like my change of occupation choice (which will probably change a couple more times before settling haha) some of them were sad, like realizing a medical issue I have, but the biggest thing I learned about myself, is that I AM STRONG.

I just want to take a minute to express my gratitude for all of your support throughout my journey of accomplishing a dream of mine. This wasn't just a semester of school. It wasn't even just a semester of school abroad. It was a dream. A dream that came true! It went by way too fast, and I wish I could go back already, but I DID IT!

I said earlier that my journey is over.. but it's not (: I am planning on so much more! From Romania, to Africa, to serving as a missionary of the mormon church for 18 months somewhere in the world... MY JOURNEY IS NOT OVER... It's just beginning. 

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