Finale

Today marks the final day of 52 days of traveling through Europe and Israel, and I am simply dumbfounded both by how quickly it has passed, and how incredible it has been. But more on that later.

I spent today in Bruges, a small Belgian town about 1 hour from Antwerp. It definitely is a very touristy spot, and has about 3 million visitors. With its old houses, ancient churches, lack of modern architecure, and canals running through its scenic banks of flowers, it does, in my opinion, deserve the title of Unesco World Heritage site. However, I definitely do not agree with its nickname, "Venice of the North". Please. Venice is beyond comparison. Why can't each place be distict, not lame attempts to copy other places?

When I arrived this morning, the weather matched my sorrowful mood- it was pouring with thunder and all. For some reason, I decided to walk for 45 minutes from the train station to the hostel instead of take the bus, so when I got there, I was wetter from the rain than I had gotten in the shower earlier in the morning. It was fine, though, and I got to see some of Bruges' streets and sights. After drying off and putting my stuff away, I donned my cheap poncho that I had brought to Europe and never used, and headed out. Immediately, however, the poncho showed signs of poor quality, and did not serve its purpose very well. On top of that, I looked like a giant plastic tomato with this huge billowing bright red thing around me. Its all good- I won't see any of these people again.

The town is beautiful, but there is very little to do, so I wandered around for about 3 hours and thought about what this whole trip has meant to me, and how it has changed me. And it defininelty has. However, for the benefit of you, the reader, I have made a list of interesting numbers regarding this trip:

8- Countries I have visited
3 Principalities or Territories visited
90+ Hours on a train
39 Museums visited
27 coúntries of origin for people I have met
27 Hostels stayed in
10 Emails sent from Columbia and forwarded immediately to Dad to handle- THANKS!
4 Friends from Chaparral High I met up with on 2 seperate occasions
1200 Photos taken
41 Blog posts
10 Phone card recharges at 20 bucks a pop
7 European laundry loads
4 pairs of socks lost due to above
5+ Naps in public places

However, there are some things that could not be innumerated:

People I have met
Kebabs/Falafels/Shwarmas/Turkish fast food I have consumed
Life-changing experiences had
One-time friends made
Dollars lost due to a horrible conversion rate
Thoughts of home/friends/Columbia
Levels of maturity gained
Cocktail party stories made

Overall, this trip has been unbelievably outstanding. I thought that it would simply be a trip- a time to see the sights, meet some people, and get some time abroad. However, with these 52 days on my own with my thoughts, I have come to learn much about life. I have come to realize what is important, what I really care about, and what I have not valued enough until now. I have learned much about how to travel, yes, but I have also learned more about what it means to be a person in this world. I've learned about what kind of obligation I have to improving the lives of others, to promoting justice and peace, and fighting for ideals even if they can't be felt or seen. I've gained perspective by talking to people who have had experiences that I never could have.

In all, I feel (as trite and cliche as this sounds) like I have made a transition. I am unsure of how to label this transition, but I guess the simplest, although the most blunt way to put it would be that it has been a transition from boyhood to manhood. But that sounds way too "Catcher in the Rye", and not real. I guess I now know much, much more about how life works and what kind of person I need to be. It is something extremely hard to vocalize, but it is real and I am thrilled to have gotten it under my belt before heading to such a trying period of my life like college. I thank all of you who have followed me on this adventure through this blog, even if it was in only a limited way. You comments and encouragement have meant the world to me, and I am grateful.

So that's it. That's my trip. I now head back to my homeland with more experiences than I ever thought possible, and now it's time to conquer the world! ...or maybe just make a dent.

Peace and Love! But most importantly, STAY CLASSY