Excited to go home, but sad to leave the month long experience of a lifetime has come to an end. My absolute favorite part was still all the new friends I was able to make. It?s quite amazing how easy it is to be outgoing when you?re faced with possible loneliness for an entire month.
However, besides all the new Facebook statuses I will have the pleasure of reading for the rest of my life from my new friends, I was also able to discover some distant relatives. Quite a while ago a distant great uncle of mine out together a family tree including addresses. This was so long ago that I was not ever represented on it. My mother?s third cousin sent a letter to my mom wanting to connect with some of her more distant relatives. Her son was also interested in studying abroad in Texas at some point (they live in Sweden). His school actually has a program with t.u. (hissss), but I?ll get back to that later. My mother and her third cousin Maria began emailing and discovered they had a lot in common. Eventually it was settled that Maria and her family would come visit us in Texas while I was in Norway, and towards the end of my trip I would visit Maria and her family in Sweden.
Now, back to t.u. (hissss), my mother set up a tour of both A&M?s and t.u.?s campuses because southern hospitality knows no bounds.
Later on I finally made it to Sweden. I took the wrong train and ended up paying a pricey cab fare, but I did not miss my flight, which felt like quite an accomplishment. When I met my fourth cousin, Maria?s son, Fredrick he and his father were wearing A&M wristbands; and Fredrick should me all of the A&M paraphernalia that he received from my mom and from the campus. I would not be surprised if he ended up there for graduate school, or at least I hope he goes their for graduate school. One can always use another Aggie in the family.
My mother also found a picture my grandmother took when she was in Norway. It looks different now with more buildings and trees, but it was special for me to be able to walk where she must have walked such a ling time ago.
I am currently on a giant airplane heading back to TEXAS! I am praying that my last two years at A&M allows for another study abroad, but if that is not the case then I suppose I will have to backpack through all of Europe on my own. Being in a student exchange rather than a faculty led trip has definitely given me the confidence to venture out on my own to far off places I had never before dreamed of exploring.
Thanks and gig?em