postcards.: [A] Study abroad- Final thoughts

As I sit in a Rome airport hotel for the third straight night, I realize once again how wonderful these past 7 months have been abroad. My time has been chock full of lifetime experiences, unforgettable scenes, and global exposure on a profound level. I am not ignorant to the innumerable factors that had to converge for me to have a life this wonderful- great parents, lasting friends, an adventurous girlfriend, a wealthy country, and a supportive university willing to let me travel to no penalty of my own- anzi, to my benefit in their eyes. They have all converged to give me what has been by any measure the best year of my life, and one that I hope does not set too high a standard for the rest of what I have in front of me.

The sheer number of new places I've seen since the first of last year astounds me...

Tel Aviv
Jerusalem
Tiberius
Zifat
the Golan
the Negev
London
Aix-en-Provence
Cassis
Roussillon
Gourdes
Briançon
Cinque Terre
Paris
Marseilles
Chateau Vignelaure
Nice
Avignon
Pont du Gard
London again
Porquerolles
Nimes
Séte
Narbonne
Carcassonne
Limoux
Queribus
Cucugnan
Gruisson
Perpignan
Arles
London again
Brussels
Amsterdam
Istanbul
the Black Sea
Athens
Barcelona
Valencia
Madrid
Rome
Siena
Naples
Sorrento
Pompeii
Sant Angelo
Capri
Positano
Buonconvento
Florence
San Gimignano
Rome again
Rome again
Milan
Colico
Catania
Mt. Etna
Fiesole
Venice
Pienza
Mt. Oliveto
Rome again
Florence again
Rome again

...and if I am forgetting any, I would not be surprised.

It has been a truly fantastic year, and I come away with few regrets. I am thankful for the new, lifelong friends I have made, and for the old ones that have waited me out while I went wandering. See you all soon,
A

Now for a photo rewind: