CLA Student Blogs

After a full, long day of traveling home from Mallorca, I am left alone with my thought. (That's right, I only have one). Everyone is still on their fall break vacations, and I returned to a) catch up on some shows online b) spend some quality time with Toledo and c) write a ten page paper due next Tuesday.

Anyways, my thought:
I am so lucky. Through all the homework, the people I miss, and the yearning for some sort of hot dish, I have come to realize that I am surrounded by some pretty awesome opportunities. I just returned from a trip to the beautiful island of Mallorca with my best friend, and next week I will be headed to Paris to go to Euro-Disney. I haven't been to Disney World since I was five years old, and it has been a dream of mine to return. I sure hope French Mickey doesn't disappoint. I have a trip booked to Bordeaux, France and a Thanksgiving feast planned in the Canary Islands. As much as I would love to see the leaves change this time of year in Minnesota, I am really enjoying watching myself evolve into a more independent, observant and self-sufficient adult (yes adult). Ever since I arrived, I've been trying to figure out why it's so quiet here. Certainly Toledo is smaller and a little more low-key than Dinkytown on a Saturday night, but it's not that quiet here. Suddenly I realized what it was: I stopped talking so much. Not just verbally talking, but my brain has stopped buzzing. If I have learned one thing from my study abroad experience, it has been to recognize your thoughts as your own and not just as noise. I think I've learned a lot about myself through the art of this thing called "listening". If you haven't tried it, it's a great place to start to make a change (and you don't have to leave the country to do it).