The Final(s) Week

The lyrics "She couldn't wait to get goin' but wasn't quite ready to leave" were how I felt leaving home for my first year of college. Three and half years later I relate to those lyrics just as much as I did as a nervous 17 year old. But now I'm 21 years old, still nervous as heck, but I know there is a greater plan for me than what I have for myself. In 2 days I leave this beautiful place I’ve called home for the last 4 months. It’s a bittersweet feeling. When I was preparing to come here, and even for the first couple weeks I was here, I kept telling myself, “I don’t understand why people say the Kartause became their second home.” Of course I’ve always thought it was great and beautiful and I’ve felt comfortable here and I’ve loved it but it took a little while for me to call it home. But now I understand. I distinctly remember coming home from Prague and seeing the spire of Maria Thron and feeling so relieved that I was finally home. And my weekend in Prague was my favorite travel weekend so you can imagine how good it felt to get off that bus and walk back into the Kartause after my other excursions. That being said, I am sad to be leaving my amazing home at the foothills of the Alps. But I am overjoyed to be going back to the home where my family is. 

This semester has left me with holes in my shoes, a very worn out pair of jeans, a scar on my foot, bags under my eyes, a few extra pounds on my body, and a couple bruises on my heart. But more importantly it has left me with check marks on my bucket list, a very worn out passport, feet that have walked in 6 countries and 17 cities, eyes that have seen the beauty of God’s creation, a few (hundred) extra souvenirs in my bag, and many more people to reside in my heart. The joys of this semester far outweigh the sorrows. 
The statement “there’s no such thing as a bad day in Gaming” isn’t true. There are bad days here. But the thing is those bad days are put into perspective by all the good days. Somehow yesterday’s tears are forgotten when you wake up on Thanksgiving morning to 6 inches of snow covering the mountains. Somehow studying for finals becomes an absolute blast when you add beer, Milka, and friends to the study session. 

R.I.P. to my favorite pair of shoes...they served me well.

I tried to come into this semester with absolutely no expectations but that never works. I did have expectations. If I’m being completely honest, my experience abroad did not even come close to living up to my expectations. I didn’t go on any crazy, adrenaline-pumping adventures (which my mom is actually probably grateful for), I didn’t learn a lick of German, and I didn’t travel nearly as much as I would have liked. Do you want to know what I did do? I got stronger. My self-esteem grew. I learned how to see the beauty in God’s Creation and that I am a part of that beauty. I grew in independence but I also learned how to let people in and that some times you have to let yourself trust other people. (Shout out to Joe Wattenbarger for that one!) I got to have terrible beer in Prague and I also got to have delicious pizza in Venice. I got to learn about Plato and Aristotle in the classroom while I learned about the universality of the Catholic Church in St. Peter's Basilica. I learned how to be a better friend and how to accept love in a more humble way. I held myself to a higher standard and I am the happiest I’ve been in a very long time. 

As I’m writing this, I’m realizing the true meaning of friendship as it is made manifest before my eyes. 
Let me paint you a picture. 
It is 10:38pm and I’m in my room. I’m fully packed and ready to go home but our room still needs to be organized, vacuumed, and books and extra things we’re not taking home still need to be turned in. This afternoon I stole a comfy chair from the lobby so I could sit and watch movies for the next two days while everyone else is studying for finals, finishing finals, and packing. My plans were completely changed when I walked into my friend Liz Bunnell’s room and started watching soldier coming home videos. Then Joe Wattenbarger walked in so he could study with her for their Visual Arts and the Catholic Imagination final. Long story short we somehow ended up in my room. Joe, of course is in the comfy chair, Liz is sitting on my roommate’s bed, and I’m sitting on the floor surrounded by crumbs from the Goldfish Joe threw at me. They’ve been studying for their final and I finished packing and now I’m writing. You’re probably wondering how in the world this is the true meaning of friendship. Well the fact of the matter is that I’ve been absolutely no benefit to either of them for the past 3 hours. And to be completely honest, I have absolutely no interest in their art class. But we have all been sitting in my room perfectly happy and genuinely enjoying each other’s company. We’ve had mini dance parties, we’ve made plans for next semester, we’ve laughed…a lot. Thank you Joe and Liz for being my family here and for always being there for me, especially when I didn’t think I needed it. I also feel the need to include the fact that Joe just asked me “Are you blogging about us? You better quote us, so help me.” I’m not really sure what will happen if I don’t quote him, so here you go Joe Watt, you have officially been quoted. And Liz says, “I’ve never been in a blog! I’ll feel so famous.” Well, here you go Liz, here are your 15 minutes; I’m sorry that it’s just in front of the 15 people who read my blog.

Thank you, Gaming, Austria for being the place I found true friendship and unconditional love. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I’m so grateful to have spent 4 months of my life in a place that fosters faith, joy, and hope. 

P.S. Finals went really well! I'm feeling pretty confident about all my classes and the classes and professors are honestly going to be the things that are hardest to leave.