Wow, after seven months of being in Europe, I go home in two days. This last week has really rounded out my experience in Europe. I feel like now I know more what it is like to live here (rather than visit) than I ever did before. This came with experiencing with their healthcare and pharmacies, traveling throughout Germany, and fixing my own flight at the airport. I have learned and grown so much from my experiences alone in Europe. Before coming here, I felt like my age when Covid came (freshly 17), but now I fully feel 21 and I feel ready to be a senior and take on whatever comes after college.
Now let me elaborate, I am feeling really good! I took my medicine, talked to pharmacists, and I am getting my stitches out today. Everyone has been extremely nice even when they could not help me throughout this. I had never been in the hospital for myself (besides my own birth) before so all of this was very new to me much less in a European context. I am very lucky to be pretty much completely healed a week and a half later. I am so thankful for all the support of the people around me so that I could continue to have the best experience possible even with my injury.
I met up with family friends in Hamburg, Germany from Sunday to Wednesday and it was so much fun! I traveled around the city without them on Sunday as they made their way up from Berlin, and it was amazing to see the ease with which I caught on to a completely new way of public transportation: seamlessly transitioning from train to metro to bus to get where I wanted to go. Being in Europe has taught me so much about adapting to the situation, and I am so much better off for it.
I was in Hamburg so long because I went to the Eras tour (which of course was incredible!), but I don’t want to brag about it too much so I’ll show some photos and say my surprise songs were Teardrops On My Guitar/The Last Time and We Were Happy/Happiness which were so good! It was a rain show, which I loved because Taylor never re-straightened her hair and she had it curly the whole show (which as a curly haired girl, I adored). We got back to the hotel at 12:30am after the show and I left at 4am for the airport. My first flight was delayed because of Brexit backup at border crossing between Europe and the UK for my layover in London and that actually made me miss my connecting flight. So I had my first experience with airport customer service. I was at first told the next flight was 12 hours later to which I said I might as well fly into Belfast and take the train to Dublin, but while looking for a Belfast flight, the customer service person told me there was a flight 7 hours later, and one only 5 hours later that she could put me on standby for. Long story short, I got off standby and only had to wait 5 hours at the airport. But if this had happened at any other point in my life, I would’ve freaked out, but I stayed calm and everything went well.
I have loved making friends through the Bucknell in programs I have been a part of, but I think the strongest bond I have formed is with myself. I left the United States scared to spend any time alone, and throughout 2024 I have gotten much better at being with myself. This is through the help of the friends I have made around me, and I am so proud of the person that I have become. Saying that study abroad changes you has become such a cliche, but it is absolutely true. I have learned so much about myself here in Dublin with my 40 minute commute and the prices being much higher than in Spain and living in an apartment with 5 other girls. It has been such an incredible experience, and I can’t believe tonight is the goodbye dinner. Thank you so much Bucknell in Dublin for everything, and I can’t wait to talk to future students about how this program is a must for their college experience if they can make it work!
Glad you’re feeling better Kayla. Hamburg looks beautiful!