Here is a final compilation of a few things that I have learned this year, some a bit silly and some more practical:
1. I simply do not enjoy wine, and I have accepted that. 10 months drinking wine and going to tastings hasn't changed that. I have learned a damn fantastic poker face while sipping whites, though I can't help but cringe at red wines. And on that note, same goes for tomatoes: I just don't like them.
2. On the other hand, I have learned to love cider (the alcoholic kind), hot spiced wine, black olives, frog's legs, sauerkraut, and galettes, along with being introduced to German, Swiss, French, and Moroccan cuisine that I have already looked up recipes for.
3. Sometimes every single train you take will break down or be late. Sometimes you have to run through terminals to catch a connection. Sometimes every form of public transportation will fail, and you will be extremely late, not for lack of trying. Stuff happens. I've learned to stay calm in such situations, because some things are just beyond my control, and there's no use in stressing. And Switzerland, your normally flawless public transportation was having a really off day back in March, but thank you for that lesson.
4. Personally, I feel robbed when I jet off to a country for a day or two with little research done ahead of time. The only trip I regret taking was to Croatia, because I had barely a day and a half to spend in Zadar and I saw almost nothing. In fact, I don't even count Croatia as a country that I visited this year, because I saw so little of it.Taking a spontaneous adventure is a cool idea, but it is almost always better to put a few hours of research into trips, because then they will be infinitely more worthwhile.
5. Credit to my parents; they do a wonderful time planning vacations! Planning them on your own is so time-consuming and frustrating, especially when comparing prices of everything. Plus, whenever I'm in a new place, I never know where to eat. I have literally spent hours wandering cities looking for a decent place to eat. I find it quite stressful, notably when someone in the group is looking for something in particular (ahem, Kat and her shrimp in the South of France).
6. How to spot an American tourist with 90% accuracy. It's such a fun skill when you are people watching.
7. It's not always the places you go. It's not always the things you do. Sometimes, it is the people we meet and the memories made with them along the way that are the most priceless parts about travelling.
8. How to teach English to upper-intermediate level French guys. I won't say that I was a particularly good ESL teacher, but I'm working on it. And it was an experiment in confidence that I will never forget.
9. How to speak French. When I arrived in France, I could barely string three sentences together. In the past year, I have witnessed a dramatic improvement in my speaking skills especially, for I can tell stories and give 20-minute presentations in this language now! Am I perfect? Hell no! Am I fluent? Nope, not at all. But I can understand. I can communicate, and not just on a basic level! And it feels AMAZING to be able to live in or visit a country and speak their language. I only truly felt helpless in Germany and Italy, because I couldn't communicate with anyone in their language. But in France, in Switzerland, in Morocco -- I could. And there is no better feeling.
10. I learned to travel alone--multiple times--and it was always okay. I think everyone is a little afraid to be alone in a new place, surrounded by strangers, no immediate lifeline or friend close by. In Annecy, in Leon, in Geneva, and in Milan, I was alone, with no one in those cities that I knew. And honestly, it was a little frightening. I had half a mind to stay in my hostel, just to feel safe. But you can't do that. So each time, I left, went out into the world, and was amazed. It's a little lonely to be alone, I'll grant you. But at the same time, it was very liberating. I was testing what I could do, and I exceeded my own expectations.
The same thing is true for studying abroad. I arrived in France alone, met up with 11 other students who I hardly knew, lived with two families I had never met, in cities I had never heard of, in a language I could scarcely understand. It was terrifying. But fear doesn't have to be paralyzing. Cliches aside, these past ten months were some of the most rewarding of my life.
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