Settling into Budapest: The Beginning

Greetings from Budapest! I’ve been here for nearly three weeks now, crazily enough.

So where do I start? Well, for starters, I arrived on September 6th at Liszt Ferenc Airport (from Germany) and then moved directly into the student dormitory with the help of my lovely Hungarian cousin later that day. After unpacking a bit, we then went to out to a party at Akvarium Klub (right in the city center), where I met up with two other great Hungarian friends of mine. I can’t understate how nice it is to already have a nice network of friends and family in the city. They’ve helped me out so much everytime I’ve been in the area, and I will always be  grateful for their friendship. Nonetheless, a nice way to start your first day back, no? 😉

The next two weeks consisted mainly of orientation sessions at university. The first week was dedicated to accomplishing a lot of the bureaucratic and administrative formalities required both by the school and the city. Think, immigration office, aka the seventh circle of hell. But it’s all good, as I’m now officially a legal resident of Budapest!

The second week was more for sampling the various classes that would be on offer over the coming year. This week has been the first official week for classes– and it’s already over for me because I have Fridays off. Yay.

I also really like my department and the university. There are around thirty-five other students in my program, coming from nearly every corner of the world. We all get along great (so far!) and I’m excited to see what new friendships will form in the coming year as we all navigate our Master’s studies. In addition, the university is legitimately located smack-dab in the center of the city. Nearly everything and anything of cultural and historical significance in Budapest is only a few minutes walk away. So lucky to have this, as it also means that my long days at the university can also be spent in the city center, enjoying the many sights and views of this gorgeous place.

In terms of courses, there are a number of mandatory as well as elective classes that I have to take. The mandatory ones are pretty generic and geared toward understanding the fundamentals of public policy, so think politics, economics and government. For electives, I am concentrating on more quantitative fields, with classes called Public Finance, Comparative Budgeting as well as Global Cities (okay, I have to admit, this one was more for fun). Most of the professors in my department seem to be at the top of their fields as well as respective professions. We’re talking former government ministers, directors of major international organizations as well as high-level policy advisers. Love it. I’m also taking a class on SPSS as well as Hungarian. It’s a full course load, no jokes, but I’m excited.

So there you go! These first few weeks here have been absolutely hectic, but but also quite nice. Let’s hope it continues…

The amazing view after exiting most of the university buildings.

A crowd gathering by the iconic Szent Istvan Bazilika.

View from the dormitory’s 3rd floor.

First evening at the door, reception and traditional dancing.

Wine festival on the Castle Hill.

…Rainy but gorgeous!

View of the city from the Castle District. You could constantly stand here and never get bored of this sight…

Ice-cream break after long day at university!

Relaxing for a bit at Vörösmarty tér, five minutes walk from university.

The National State Orchestra playing in front of the Bazilika.

Opening ceremony of the university as presided over by the Rector, Professor John Shattuck, former US Ambassador to the Czech Republic.

August Updates

It’s truly hard to believe that it’s already August. Where has time gone? In about one month, I’ll be flying to Budapest, and off to my new home for the next year. When I’ll be back in Berlin next I don’t know, but with any luck it won’t be too long. I am really loving living here. But let’s see, what has happened these last few weeks? For the most part, I’ve been quite busy at work. The hours are long and that makes any time that I have on the weekends even more precious. The trade-off is that the projects are interesting, with my portfolio including companies in Brazil, Germany and Myanmar, as well as a few others I irregularly work on.

In terms of seeing other cities, some weeks ago I was able to visit Hamburg, which is a roughly 2 hour train ride away. Known for being a port-city and hub for trade, Hamburg is definitely an awesome city, and I’m glad to now have at least seen it. Being able to also look at it from the vantage point of applying to jobs there two years from now was also a valuable opportunity.

A week later, I was also able to go to Budapest for about five days, using vacation time that I had accumulated. A quick side note: employees at my company get 26 days per year vacation, something that’s fairly average in Germany. I receive the same amount, just prorated to my internship period. Read that and weep, my American friends. As my family is currently in Germany (and staying with my grandparents), we were all able to meet in Budapest for some nice time together. While the trip down there from Berlin was rather long (think 13 hours in an Eastern European night-train…so not the most glamorous thing), it was the most economical way to get down there. Once I was down there though, everything was great! As my family also loves the city, being able to go there was a wonderful opportunity for everyone to see the city a bit more extensively. Instead of visiting the most touristy places, we were able to see some more off the path but still popular locales.

And another highlight– a few days before I was to head off to Budapest, I received word from Central European University that my fellowship had now been upgraded, this time to the highest possible financial award awarded by the university. This entails that my monthly stipend has now increased about two-fold. Sweet! As I was planning to head to Budapest as it was, I ended up signing the new financial award documents in person. It’s also looking like I’ll be almost completely financially independent during the upcoming year. All of my university fees are covered by this fellowship and I’ll be given a decent amount of discretionary spending money as it also stands. Win!

Finally, on Saturday, I was able to visit the city of Dresden, which is about three hours from Berlin. I have a relative (my grandmother’s cousin) who lives quite near there, and so we were able to coordinate a visit together. All in all, a lovely lady, a lovely city and another lovely day. What more could you want?

Visiting London– Old Friends, LSE and Will & Kate!

In what probably comes as no surprise, I left Berlin two weekends ago to do some travelling. However, it wasn’t solely a tourist trip, as the main reason I went there was to visit one my best friends, Claire, who I met during my semester at University College Utrecht last year. She currently lives and works there, and after a year apart, it was so, so great to see her again!

I ended up leaving Berlin right after work on Friday, and took an evening flight over to London with the discount airliner Easyjet. A short one hour flight later, I arrived at Southend Airport, one of the six or so airports that London has. Taking the train to Stratford station, I then caught the tube to Canada Water, another comparatively short journey, and met up with Claire. As the main point of this trip was not to excessively sightsee, but rather catchup, things ended up being very relaxed and super enjoyable. Along with seeing some other parts of London that I hadn’t seen last year, we also toured the LSE campus, the one must on my list of to-dos. Having had to make my decision a few weeks back on which UK university to attend, without having visited any of the schools was a bit hard, as I wasn’t able to get the magical “feeling” on what the right choice might be, based on the potential of a campus visit. However, I have to say, after visiting LSE, I have become an even bigger fan of the school. The school is actually quite small and situated in between a few choice streets, all of which are blocked off to traffic. It seems as though the academic buildings are all incorporated into the city, as opposed to simply sticking out due to super contemporary and modern architecture. It’s simply feels right. I even got my first piece of LSE memorabilia, a t-shirt.

In addition to LSE, we also went to Camden (a super hip and youthful area of London), Oxford Street (to go to Primark, naturally), Downing Street (where the Prime Minister works/lives), Kensington Palace (where more importantly, Will and Kate live), Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park and Portobello Market. Walking down a street in Portobello Market, we found this super cute dress shop which was advertising some great deals. We then walked out a little while later carrying a few new items. Of course, trying to cut corners where possible while trying to enjoy my time anywhere is obviously always super important, and even more so in a place like London. Things are so expensive there and it simply borders on absurd at times, especially when you see the exchange rate. But you can make do without shelling out for huge things. Some of the most enjoyable things in any city (like simply walking through it, visiting local parks and markets, as well as museums) are usually always free, and what’s better than simply enjoying the outdoors, especially in the summer time?

Over the coming months, I’ll probably be coming from time to time back to London, so that I can familiarize myself with my future home, scout out a potential living situation and of course hang out with my friends there. I’m hoping to go back sometime in the autumn, and it should be super exciting, as always!

A very grand road by Buckingham Palace. So pretty with all the flags draped around!

A quick look at Camden, a super vibrant and hippy part of London.

Canals, canals and more canals in Camden!!!

A street in the area of Portobello Market.

A floating barge/bar called the Wibbley Wobbley right by Claire’s apartment. Love love love

Night when the English team was playing in the World Cup.

We are nearing Kensington Palace!!!!

Kensington Palace!

LSE!

ME + LSE = ❤

LSE Library inside. How nice!

Interesting bar/pub/shop?? right by LSE.

And of couse, because no trip would be complete without a selfie with the Buckingham Palace!

One Month in Berlin

Today marks the day that I can officially say that I have been in Germany for one month. As compared to other times abroad, this short period of time has really flown by and now I have only about two months longer to go here.

In terms of this new temporary home of mine, I am really starting to like Berlin, and quite a bit more than I initially thought I would. Having seen Berlin two or three times before through a series of short day trips, I never really took to the city. Aesthetically, I didn’t find it pretty as compared to other cities that I’ve seen. I found the history of the city quite interesting, but that was about it. Berlin simply wasn’t a city that I was dying to live or work in.

Things are a bit different in my mind now. Through getting out of the touristy sections of the city, I’ve begun to start appreciating it more. For me, it’s the small things about Berlin that I’ve begun to quite like. Take the area around Friedrichstrasse, where I work. The views of the Spree from here are superb, and the walk to the inner city on a sunny day is absolutely lovely. Or take the Tiergarten district. About two weeks ago, I went to this super cosy restaurant with friends. The food and service was superb as well as so reasonably priced, as opposed to most places near the city center. Or take the area of Friedrichschain, where I was for two evenings three weeks ago. As I was walking out of the subway station at Warschauerstrasse, I stopped by a street performer playing her guitar and singing. There was easily a crowd of 20-30 people just standing around in a circle, mesmerized by her lovely songs. I’ve found a playlist of her’s on Youtube and it’s now one of my favorites to listen to while at work. It’s really simple stuff I think, but things that you can only really discover when you leave the most obvious locations.

I know that I won’t entirely discover Berlin in the approximately two months I have left. It’s simply too large and I don’t have enough time. However, if this first month is any indication of how the rest of the summer will be, I’m excited to see what other stories I will have before I leave for my more permanent home in Budapest.

Settling In and Recaps of Iceland

And just like that, another few weeks have passed and it’s time to write another post. As has become fairly normal, lots of new and exciting changes have happened in the last month or so, the biggest of which has been my recent relocation to Berlin! So, where do I actually start? About four weeks ago, I packed up all of my things and departed New York, en route to Frankfurt, Germany via Reykjavik, Iceland. Like I explained a few months ago, I decided to treat myself to a mini-vacation in Iceland, as I had to stop there either way for a layover. Although only two days in length, I think that that was the perfect amount of time, given that I just wanted to relax, enjoy some sights but not necessarily sight-see all day, especially as this was all coming only a few days after graduation, and I was still a bit tired from all of the events that had led up to the final festivities.

It turned out that that was exactly the best plan. During my time in Reykjavik, I went to the famous Blue Lagoon, as well as did some walking around in the city, including to the Hallsgrimkirkja, Iceland’s famous church. Although a bit pricey, the Blue Lagoon was also fully worth the price, as it was super relaxing and enjoyable. Definitely a great way to spend an entire day. Highlights of the trip in general included the amazing views, the nature and the yoghurt (look it up, its amazing!) Negatives included the general cost of everything (so expensive!!), and the weather (low 50s-60s only).

After my two days were up, I headed back to the airport and caught my morning flight to Frankfurt, where I met up with my uncle and his family. Staying with them for a few days was great, as I haven’t been able to see them since last June. After that, it was time to see my grandparents, who live approximately two hours away from my uncle. Following some days there, I headed off to Berlin, via a long distance train. That ride took about six-ish hours, seven if you include getting to my apartment.

So there you go! It’s now my third week here in Berlin, and all’s going great so far. My apartment mates are all quite friendly and nice, and the location of the apartment is really quite good. Work is also really interesting, and I’m learning lots of great stuff, both related to conducting business in the e-commerce sector and about marketing in general. Hopefully I’ll learn a ton more during my three month placement here, which I can in-turn then use during my studies at LSE, a year from now. But in the meantime, stay tuned to my blog because my adventures have only just started! My following blog post will focus on a trip I took last weekend. 😉

PS: I’m officially letting the world know how awesome my (ex) boss back in New York, Sean Sherwood is! He believed in my ability to get into all of the graduate programs I ended up getting into, including LSE. Throughout my crazy last year at university, he remained persistent about me eventually gaining entrance, even when I tried to persuade him otherwise, which probably happened a couple times a week. So here you go Sean, you have officially made it to my blog! 🙂

Downtown Reykjavik.

View from the main shopping mile in Reykjavik.

Iceland’s most famous church, the Hallsgrimkirkja.

Some of the best yogurt ever. It’s called Skyrr.

Monument along the road, probably in reference to the country’s seafaring origins.

The Blue Lagoon!

More Blue Lagoon! What a wonderful to spend an entire day…

Now who wouldn’t want to learn Icelandic by looking at those signs?

 

Final Decisions: An Amazing Twist to Things

And with that, the year is officially over! Well technically, classes are now over, and finals week is starting to descend upon everyone. While I don’t have any exams coming up, I do have a number of essays that are due, one of which still needs serious work before I hand it in. Sigh…No hanging out and enjoying this last week quite yet.

But in more seriously exciting news, I’ve finally settled upon plans for life post-graduation. It’s been such a long journey to get to this point, and I never thought that what I’m about to embark on was actually going to happen. It didn’t even cross my mind as a remote possibility. That was until two weeks ago.

So after relatively some deliberation, I have decided to pursue two Master’s degrees in the next two years, one right after the other. For the 2014-15 year, I’ll be headed to Central European University, located in Budapest, Hungary. As I’ve written before extensively here, I have a pretty big love for the city and general region. I’ll be studying under the MA Public Policy program, which lasts exactly one year. After that, I’ll continue my studies during the 2015-16 year at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), under the MSc Management, Organizations and Governance program. Insane!

So, dear readers, you might have serious questions about this interesting combination. It’s really unusual, and it’s certainly a mouthful to explain to anyone now who asks the stereotypical question, “So what are you plans after graduation?” It all makes total sense though. Let me explain.

When I was home during Spring Break back in mid-April, I got the acceptance letter for LSE. I had never considered myself the strongest candidate and was honestly expecting a rejection. It was, after all, the most challenging school that I had applied to. The fact that the opposite actually happened, and only about three weeks after sending in my complete application was truly surprising. I have good grades and such, but I assumed that the sheer caliber of the students applying would likely render a decision not in my favor. So I had thought.

With the LSE acceptance in hand, I deliberated going there versus the other choices in hand, and ultimately made the decision alongside family and my thesis adviser to accept the offer from LSE. Such an offer doesn’t come around too often, and it’s one that I wouldn’t want to regret a few years down the road. Having such a prestigious reputation back in the USA as well in Europe was a real determining factor as opposed to the other UK universities I had gotten into at that point.

About two weeks later, I received another big surprise. As I was heading back from a weekend in Akron, I opened my email while on the Greyhound bus, and saw that my scholarship offer to Central European University had been upgraded to a fellowship, up from the small scholarship previously offered at the beginning of April. I hadn’t done anything to prompt this change on my own, so I was really surprised, as I hadn’t considered this program a clear front-runner as compared to my other offers. Essentially all of my costs would be covered, housing and additional stipend included! My parents were just as shocked and thrilled as well over this great increase in award. As I began to mull this offer in my head over, the only thing that stood out in my mind was that all it would require for me to do this degree as well was, firstly, an additional year of study and secondly, a deferral from LSE. Which in the grand scheme of things, considering that my first degree will be fully funded, aren’t too crazy of options.

With all of this in mind, I talked extensively with my adviser and parents, and they were all in unanimity: do both, if I can obtain a deferral from LSE. The time commitment is relatively minimal, as are the costs. And that’s exactly what will happen, as my deferral was just granted a few days ago. The first degree represents more of my academic interests, and would allow me to potentially do PhD studies in the field, should I one day still want to pursue that option. The second one is more geared towards attaining the business credentials I feel would be still so important to attain. In addition, because I would be one of the younger students on the degree program at LSE (the average age is 25), deferring it for a year will allow me to build up my CV even more so that I can better compete with those older people. 😉

So there you go! I’ll be spending the following year in Budapest, a city that means so much to me. The year after, I’ll head to London. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. 🙂

April Updates

Time just seems to be flying by now. With officially 5ish weeks to go until graduation, everything is getting very real! But in such awesome, awesome ways. Today (well technically yesterday) was my 22nd birthday, so that was an interesting feeling for sure. It’s awesome growing up and everything, but it’s also dawning on me how fast things are going. It’s crazy how much things can change in a year. If this year was any indication of the things to come, this year will be another insane one. But heck, I’d take that any day of the week.

After graduation on May 18th, I’ll pack up and head back home on the 19th. Two days later, I set off for the biggest journey/adventure of my lifetime. I’ll arrive in Germany on the 24th of May, and then my summer internship starts the following week. Fast forward to the beginning of September, and I’ll start graduate school! A few weeks ago, I got one of my dream choices for graduate school–Imperial College London! It’s not completely finalized yet, but it looks pretty certain that I’ll be headed there this September. Specifically, I would be entering the Business School on the MSc Management Programme (yepp–I’ll have get used to all of that British spelling as well, oh dear!), one of the four faculties the school has. When I found out about my acceptance in March, I was shaking and crying. Perhaps one of the best feelings to date. Going into this entire application process, I wasn’t sure how all of these schools abroad would see my application. There were so many uncertainties. But it’s all working out for the best, I can’t believe my luck.

Since then, I have heard back from nearly all of the other schools I applied to, with the exception of two that should be coming back rather soonish. Right after Imperial came through, nearly everyone else came back as well. All together seven offers so far, so not too shabby… 😉

Now the only thing really standing in the way of graduation is completing my lovely thesis. I’m currently up to page 58, so it’ll be interesting to see how much further I get before my defense on April 24.

Here’s to the homestretch, gotta try to make it the best possible! Now back to working on that thesis…

Seven Months

It’s been seven months to the day since I’ve been back. Seven months that have both been very long and very short. In two and a half more, I’ll be returning. Insanity! With that in mind, I’ve decided to break down the last months below, as quite a lot has happened.

August 2013– After spending my last night at Sziget Music Festival in Budapest, I returned back to the US after an over 15 hour flight. RA training started a few days later.

September– University started. Enrolled in my first Master’s level class in Political Science. Met my thesis adviser and began work.

October– Applied to my first MA program. Worked on researching other Master’s programs.

November– Applied for and accepted an internship offer in Berlin. One of my best friends from abroad also came to visit for Thanksgiving!

December– Was rejected from my first MA program.

January– Sent out a bunch of more MA/MSc program applications. Traveled to North Carolina to drop off sister at her university.

February– Accepted into my first MSc program (and Business School along the way!). Booked my ticket back to Europe. Took the FSOT for the second time.

March– Still sending out applications and interviewing for a few schools at the moment. I also found out that I passed the FSOT! Stage two continues later this month.

The Countdown Begins (Again!)

In three months I’ll be back in Europe. How exciting! My one-way flight has been booked and that part of my next adventure is now set in stone. While I won’t be in continental Europe until the 24th of May, I’ll be spending the two days prior to that in Iceland, Reykjavik to be exact. When looking for the best deal online, connecting through Iceland was the cheapest option. I’ve taken the New York-Iceland-Europe route numerous before, including with family, but I have never left the confines of the airport. But that too shall now change! Icelandair was offering a really cool deal online, where you can stopover in the country for up to a week at no additional cost. I thought about it and thought why the heck not? So there ya go. Geysers/geothermal lagoons/volcanoes/whales/other generic Icelandic things, I’m coming for you.

But let me backtrack a bit. You’re going back to Europe? Yes, yes indeedy! Germany to be more exact. Everything that I’ve been working for in the last few months is slowly but surely coming together. I managed to secure a paid internship in Berlin back in November for the summer/early fall at a company that works with international start-up businesses. I’ll be interning in the company’s marketing/public relations department, working mostly on their English language content (with some German perhaps as well). I was super stoked to get this opportunity and I think it falls in nicely with some career plans that I’ve been working on recently. After my internship ends at the end of September, I’ll head off to graduate school, optimally in a business/management orientated program. I’ve already gotten into one such school in the United Kingdom and am waiting to hear back from a bunch of other programs in the meantime. Yay for goals coming together! All of the programs I ended up applying to except for one are abroad, so I’d like to definitely think that I am Europe bound for graduate school either way.

Optimally when I graduate in 2015 with my Master’s degree, I’ll find an entry level job either in the United Kingdom or Germany working in business/management/marketing. While I’d love to join the Foreign Service one day, hiring quotas just aren’t working in my favor (or really anyone else’s) at the moment. So I need to create other options in the meantime. I’m not averse to coming back to the US either, but I think for now, staying and working abroad would be my preference. Logistically, working in Europe would pose no problem either as I’m also a German citizen now and legally, if you hold any EU passport, you can work and live in any other EU member-state without any impediment.

The last few months have been absolutely insane though (again). Getting graduate school applications all together (a pain that’s not completely done yet), applying for internships, working on my thesis, regular classes (including my MA class), GRE studying and my two campus jobs left little time for sanity. It was pretty rough, I won’t sugarcoat that at all. But it’s getting better! I remember telling one of my supervisors back in October that my life would get a bit simpler in March/April, and look, we’re finally almost there! 😉

Since getting into my first graduate program my stress levels have gotten better, for sure. It’s so reassuring having a program that I know that I would be happy going to after graduation. Would I be even happier with other programs? Possibly. But we shall see. Keep your fingers crossed! I hear back from another program on Monday and have an interview for one of my top choices at the beginning of March. The other ones should come back throughout March and into April. Hopefully I’ll be able to finalize my program choice sometime in April.

So that has really been the last few months in a nutshell! Other than that, I now need to concentrate on getting the last of my graduate applications out and working on my thesis. Some days I think that I put working on my thesis on the back burner last semester due to my other obligations. I’m trying to fix that now and I’m really proud of the progress that I’ve been making as of late. My thesis defense will be at the end of April, so it’s slowly becoming crunch time! I’m not too worried about the defense itself, due in part to the fact that my thesis adviser is the head of the three person panel. She’s really awesome, and I respect her so much. I want to make her proud with my final product partially because she was kind enough to take me on as a thesis candidate back in August, and partially because she is so supportive and understanding of my future plans. I’m really so lucky in that regard.

So there it all is! I can’t wait for this semester to end and for my next journey to begin. When people ask me now whether I’m sad that I’ll be graduating soon, I usually answer that I am not. That isn’t to say that I didn’t like my undergraduate experience–far from that actually. I will always be so thankful of the opportunities I had and the amazing friends I made as an undergraduate. However, growing up and entering the next stage of my life is also super exciting to me. There are still quite a few unknowns, but I know that I can handle them. Far too many people make the world out to be a super scary place, but I think that I’ve worked hard to make that not the case for myself. When I graduate in May, I know that that will not be the end of anything, but rather that start of something very exciting.

Never would I have thought four years ago as I was entering Binghamton University that this would be the path that I would be taking. What I am doing is really atypical, I get that. But at the same time, it feels so right to me. I’m on the right path, albeit a different one from most. And what more could you really want from someone my age?

A quick Google image of Reykjavik in the summer! 🙂

Looking Ahead: Some Thoughts

How things have changed! How they really have. While I take a much needed break from what seems like a constant influx of work, I want to re-start this blogging adventure. Seems a bit hypocritical in the face of the assignments and deadlines I currently have coming up this week, but this is much needed, I think.

So, where do I begin? A few days ago marked my three month anniversary of being back in the good ole USA. Honestly, it was bittersweet for me, perhaps a bit more bitter than sweet. I had been thinking of that particular day three months ago when I left (as well as the days before that), and just reflecting on the bigger picture. Deciding to do another semester abroad last October changed me for the better, most certainly. The time away allowed me to refocus on what my goals for the next few years were, and how exactly I plan on achieving them. It allowed me to re-center myself and allowed me to see what I want to prioritize going forward. I also met some absolutely amazing people and had some absolutely crazy adventures along the way. But let’s backtrack to where I left off last time…

I ended up spending all of June in Utrecht, where I basically just lounged around, hung out with friends and did some traveling within the Netherlands and Germany. This was great because the semester didn’t have too many breaks or holidays, so travel opportunities were rather limited. While I didn’t see everything on my list, I did get a good share of places scratched off. I was also able to visit my grandparents (from my mother’s side) in Germany for around ten days. I think they certainly appreciated it and I definitely enjoyed it. We had mini family reunion of sorts as well with some extended relatives coming over as well. My grandparents are in their mid 80s and I want to spend as much time as I can with them in the next few years.

Towards the very end of June, I said goodbye to Utrecht and made my way to Budapest for about five weeks. I planned on getting some research done for my thesis (which will focus on Hungary/Central Europe–so perfect location actually), as well as hopefully gain some inspiration and further direction for my work. While working independently isn’t the easiest, I did get some stuff done! Yay for efficiency. Of course, loving the city and having friends and extended family there as well only made it better. I can’t underscore how much living in Budapest affected me. Though a lot of people would call Budapest a bubble in comparison to the rest of Hungary, I love it, and would dare call it a second or third home (only after my grandparents’/mother’s hometown in Germany). It’s crazy how much you can love a place without even speaking the language. I just miss it so much sometimes.

After five all too short weeks in Budapest, I bid adieu once again, and made my way back to New York. This was perhaps even harder than leaving Utrecht because there was no more being in Europe anymore. I was going back to the States. I had to start with my job training three days later. No room for negotiation possible. While I knew that this was inevitable, I didn’t want to accept it. I’d grown to love everything that comes with being abroad. I love the flexibility of living and traveling. I love the relaxed cultural attitudes as well as the quality of life. While I’ll always call myself a proud ‘New Yorker’ and consider the USA my first home, I now know I have a home(s) abroad as well, figuratively speaking.

Coming back, the first few days were quite tough and had me thinking of the life I had had versus the life I had at that point. This sounds relatively pretentious, but after living for extended time periods abroad, the differences are quite stark to me. Although I love my university and my friends, things just aren’t the same. However, having a great group of friends always around helps a ton. I want to make this last year here the best one possible.

So what’s a girl to do in my position? Well, I’m now channeling my efforts and using what I’ve learned to shape the future I want. I plan to go back abroad, most likely to study for a Master’s degree. Most of my graduate school applications will be to top schools in Europe, with universities in cities such as London, Vienna, Konstanz and Budapest. I’ve been applying to job schemes abroad en masse as well. Couple this with scholarship and internship applications and things have been becoming crazy busy. Add in my two part time jobs, thesis work and classes and it’s pure insanity at times.

So, where does this leave me? First off, I should probably get back to work because this has been a long enough break! But in summary, this has mostly been where my thoughts have been. A lot people who hear about these decisions  are often left wondering and confused, as if what America has to offer isn’t good enough. I’m doing something really out of the ordinary for most Americans and that confounds quite a few. Everything always has a context though. I’ve been to traveling and visiting Europe nearly every year since I’ve been born. The majority of my family lives abroad and my mother grew up there for the first thirty years of her life. All of my grandparents are German and two of them still live there. I also grew up in a two language household–my mother did not want her native language to disappear, after all. In many ways, this is just the most logical extension. Cheaper and/or free university education in Europe for the most part also helps. 😉

My family supports my decisions wholeheartedly and is excited for me, although it’ll mean leaving them. I’m happy with my decisions so far and am so excited for what the future holds. I may have no idea where I’ll be ten months from now, but that’s fine with me. Maybe after I finish my studies, I will choose to stay abroad. Maybe I won’t. I’m not excluding any possibilities. The world is my oyster and I fully plan on taking advantage of every potential opportunity presented. 🙂