My First Time in Europe and I Still Can't Believe It: Victoria Schiller Portugal Study Abroad

Tuesday, May 21st was a day full of a whirlwind of emotions. I would generally consider myself a homebody with an odd sense of New Jersey pride. I have never traveled without being in the presence of my parents and older brother, except for Spring Break with my best friends. Even then, the trip was a few states away and lasted three days. It was a well adjusted trip and I thought nothing of it. However, something about this trip is extremely different. I had to do things on my own. I had to calm myself from my nerves, nerves that tend to last a while and result in a series of side effects: a loss of appetite, fear, a sense of doubt. But, it was when I was sitting at Cafe a Brasileira that I realized, "What? How am I sitting in Lisbon, in Europe, for the first time, drinking a cafe latte and eating yogurt and a cheese croissant?" I still don't believe it. I simply cannot wrap my head around the idea that I am in Europe with my professor and fellow classmates for the first time in my life. And I can't help thinking about how this opportunity will change me in the best of ways. 






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