Last Wednesday I turned in my last 3 assignments of the term. My summer started on March 18th and I have absolutely no problem with that at all.

I have spent the last week saying my goodbyes to everyone, and now that it's been pretty quiet in Canterbury I have been relaxing with Netflix in bed, and camping out in coffee shops. Once again, I am not complaining.

The remainder of the week is going to be pretty relaxed: on Wednesday I will ship a majority of my stuff back home to save my sanity in the next three weeks by not having to lug 2 suitcases around Belgium and Italy; on Thursday the Queen is coming to Canterbury to unveil a statue at the cathedral (!!!!!!!!!!); and on Friday I head to London for the weekend. Once I leave England early next week I am gone for good to travel with my best friend, Sarah, studying abroad in Belgium.

During my senior year of high school, I became really close with two AFS students, Martina and Alex, from Italy and Belgium. After I graduated, I had the opportunity to go to Lecco, Italy with my brother and visit my friend Martina. In less than two weeks I will be back in Lecco (by far one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen), after I spend a weekend staying with my friend Alex in Belgium. (It is really convenient having great friends who live in really cool places). When Sarah and I return from Italy we will then meet her parents and spend a week with them in Belgium. My last couple of days with them will be in Brussels and from there I will fly home on April 17th.

I know that when I get on the plane in Brussels in a few weeks, I will be very anxious to get home and see my friends and family. Recently my mom told me that all good things must come to an end eventually, and the time has definitely come for me to start making some money instead of constantly spending. I am also excited to spend time in Kansas City (which, perhaps, still remains my favorite city) with new eyes and perspective.

Now that most of my friends in England are home for Easter break, and the number of Americans left are slowly dwindling down, I have come to terms with leaving. I am at peace with the experience I have had in the past couple of months. If my AFS friends from high school are an example of long distance friendships, I know I should not be worried about the new friendships I have made. I believe that the world is only as big as you make it, and you never know what opportunities will come around in the future. Three years ago, when I was visiting Marty in Italy, I never imagined I could be back in Lecco so soon. And I cannot think or talk about opportunities I've had without automatically thinking about my parents. As my time in Europe is coming to an end, I often think about how amazingly blessed I am for having loving parents who support me and my study abroad experience. I can only hope that one day they will also make it to these beautiful places.