Hey everyone i'm back! I'm case you haven't noticed, I've been living in Europe for the last 3 weeks. I have finally arrived home from the land of no air conditioning/toilet seats/ice/elevators, and I am quite glad to be back in the US.
I had a blast on the trip, learned the true meaning of the term "culture shock", made new friends, had some unbelievable experiences, and experienced a level of physical and mental exhaustion I have never before reached.
I lost weight, but gained a new outlook on life and a new empathy for the foreign visitors who come to our country seeking something better. I now understand what it's like to be the one lost in translation, in a place you don't recognize trying to get by knowing very little to nothing of their language.
I know I can survive without tv, the internet, my phone, cold drinks, clean clothes, and fresh air. I can now drag 70 lbs of weight up and down multiple flights of stairs, I conquered my fear of heights at the top of the Eiffel Tower, I learned how to be suddenly thrown into an uncomfortable situation and deal with it in the best way possible. I learned how to make friends and flirt with boys who don't speak English. I've ordered my first legal drink, I've drank water out of public fountains in Italy, I've enjoyed watermelon flavored ice cream, climbed mountains, handled myself on the subway, trespassed through someone's cow pasture to find a bar to watch the football game, hung myself out a window and yodeled, saw snow for the first time at the top of the Swiss Alps, learned how to get most of my sleep on a coach bus, walked more miles than I ever thought I could, and saw more churches than I ever needed to.

In the words of Johhny Cash: I've been everywhere.