Ordinary Moments - Powerful Revelations

I had one of those moments today, where I was able to just revel in where I was as who I am right now. As a human being, I often take for granted the blessings that I have been given. However, today as I stood on the roof of Oslo’s Opera House and looked out on the beautiful city that I have found myself in, I was taken aback by the simplicity of the moment. There were not large monuments standing out, big lights, or fancy buildings; rather a simple white building which had been built in a way that accentuated the aesthetics of its surroundings. Rain trickled down slowly, and I found myself lost in a moment; a moment which stamped Oslo on my heart forever. You see, traveling, like all things in life, is often challenging. We find ourselves in situations which stretch and challenge our minds, pushing us out of our comfort zone and into something new. Now, those nostalgic moments like the one I experienced today come in many different ways and vary from person to person, but the effect it has is often very similar, and those situations are often the ones that shape us when we return to our home countries. No matter how many times I study abroad, I will never grow accustomed to how much changes by the time I return ‘home’.

The nostalgia I experience today made me hyper aware of how thankful I am for my experience in London for so many reasons; but one of the main reasons is because I have experienced being abroad in a completely different light. Rather than falling in love with the people in a place, I fell in love with the city of London itself. That is not to say that the people I met along the way did not have a huge impact on my time abroad, but when I left I was not crying the same way I cried when I got on the plane to head back to Texas after my year in Belgium. It was not crying for people and the relationships that I had built that would change with time, I was crying because the city, London, had molded and formed itself in my heart in ways that I had never experienced before. Having lived in different cities and having relationships with people around the world, there are pieces of my heart in every corner of the world. However, London had been home for two months and it somehow felt more like home than anywhere else in the world. I heard somebody mention the other day that London is home to more than 300 nationalities, and the reason so many people are able to call London home is because of its diversity. I was welcomed and loved so well by everyone that I came into contact with, and it was absolutely life changing. For the first time since I left for Belgium, I felt like I was becoming what I was made to be, and the growth that came from that is priceless.

I hope to return a changed person, one that approaches everyday with joy and hope, and looks at every situation as an opportunity to learn. More than anything though, I hope to never lose my sense of wonder and that I am able to appreciate every second of everyday, regardless of where I stand in the world.