A Reflecton.

I could start this post like all the others and explain my most recent adventures in Brugge; but I’d rather dig a little deeper in this post. As my trip comes to an end, I’d like to take the time to do a little reflection. So bare with me for who ever is reading…

Over the last five weeks I have met many people. People from all over the world with different stories and experiences. Each with a different background and personality from the one before. I like to think I can read people and their style easily, or perhaps I can just pick up quickly on who I’d get along with. I’d say within the first five minutes of talking with someone, I can tell if I would like them or not. I may sound pretentious right now or like I judge people, but I like to think it is knowing who I am and what kind of people I prefer to hang around. Although I’ve hung around people and had conversations with people that were not my style, I gave everyone a chance. And I’m glad I did because through conversations where I agreed to disagree with people or saw eye-to-eye with them, I have learned and grown as a person. I think once you get pass the typical “ backpacker conversation” as I call it, you can find yourself in conversations with people that can be deep and intimate. Unfortunately, you make friends with these people for the night, and then in the morning you look over and their bunk is empty and they have left to their next destination. These people come in and out of your life just as fast as you met them. However, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet a few select individuals who are from California, or better yet the bay area. You swap emails and wonder if they’ll stay true to their word and stay in contact.

In the end, I am so thankful that I took this trip. Of course the trip was for me to explore and see incredible places across Europe, but I gained much more than that. I got a better understanding of who I am as a person. Each day I learned something new about a person, culture, place, etc. while also learning something about myself. I look at the person I was 3 years ago in San Diego, and the person I am now. Completely different people. As I continue to meet new people and create friendships and relationships with people, I will continue to grow and hopefully become the best person I can be!

Although my bank account is almost wiped clean, I can truly say it was worth every penny. No one will ever be able to take this experience away from me!