One year ago today...

...I was on a plane to Maastricht, the Netherlands. I cannot begin to explain what an adventure those three months were. It was the trip of a lifetime!

When I set foot on Baylor's campus in August of 2005, if you'd told me that I would spend my last semester of college in various foreign countries, I would have laughed in disbelief. You were talking to the girl who couldn't handle a week at summer camp before my senior year in high school. Going off to college two hours from home was adventure enough!

(Freshman Homecoming, 2005)

Well, gone is that girl who is terrified of leaving home. In her place is a well-traveled, cultured 23 year year old. (If I do say so myself!). That's not to say I didn't get homesick. I definitely did. I missed my family and friends a lot. A LOT. But, I learned the art of keeping in touch through email and Skype, and even snail mail. I tried to send a postcard to my Great Aunt Jenny in North Carolina in every city I visited.

I took my last eight hours of class through independent study, so I corresponded with my professors by email. It prepared me for the job I have now--my boss is in Austin and my other team member in Houston. We navigated train schedules and hostel reservations. I wish I could say I gained a better sense of direction, but that's just not meant to be. Thankfully I made a great new friend, Lyndsy, who took care of the directions part! And when we were lucky enough to travel with Katie, she definitely added a whole other sense of adventure. Oh, the stories she tells.

I learned to travel with only a day-pack for a backpack, and I honed the art of packing. I'm telling you, ROLLING your stuff is the secret. It really works.

I learned that the best place to make friends were on the train--they could give you inside scoop to your destination.

I fell in love with whoever invented Long Johns. They are the best invention ever for someone that gets chilled so easily. I wore them every. single. day. with. out. fail. Even into April.

London was a great place to start. I actually did have a sense of direction there, much to Katie's surpise. Something about Subway systems make sense. We got great, cheap seats to see Les Miserables and Wicked.

Spain was my favorite. Perhaps it was the warm sunshine we hadn't seen in months, or the familiar Spanish language, or the apartment-style hostel we lived in with 10 of our friends. That is at the top of my list of places to go back to.

Rothenburg, Germany wins for being the most quaint. I remember the snow and all the good food we ate: Chinese food, German food and Italian food. Dutch food left much to be desired, so by the time we traveled there on our third week in Europe, I definitely appreciated it.

Nice, France was the most picturesque--without a doubt. I really have no words.

Easter in Rome was unforgettable. Mainly because I fainted and was cared for by the Pope's very own doctors and nurses.

Pompeii, Italy was something I'd wanted to see since my seventh grade Latin class when we learned about Mt. Vesuvius' eruption that swept over the city, catching its residents mid-run. I also ran into a friend that I worked with at Southwest Airlines. My small world just got smaller.

Oh, what semester. I gained so much independence and confidence in those three months. I learned much about myself, about relationships, and about Europe. I cemented friendships with those I traveled with and with those I kept in touch with. It was quite the adventure.

I quickly got acclamaited back to life in the states--making regular runs to Sonic Happy Hour for a Dr. Pepper. I graduated from college and began the job hunt. I've now worked long enough to have my own insurance--weird. To say life has changed in the last year would be an understatement. But I'm learning to like this new life, too. But as I sit at my desk some days, flashes of Europe play in my head. They make me smile the most.