It has been a few weeks now since I returned to smallville, Sweden, from big-town, LA. The transition may seem huge, and it is, but how does it really feel to come back home after being so far away for so long? To be honest with you, I'm not really sure yet.
Maybe it just haven't hit me yet, that I'm back, or maybe my mind thinks it was just a big dream. Going from a small town in Sweden to such a big and diverse place as Los Angeles is so indescribable that the mind can easily perceive it as unreal. But real it was and now it's over. I sometimes wonder when all the time passed me by because it sure doesn't feel like almost a year has passed.
Has this experience changed me as a person? It most definitely has, in countless of ways. Even though it may just be the tip of the iceberg, I have seen how different two places can be. We are all the same but still so different. This diversity is amazing and it teaches many valuable lessons.
The experience as a whole can be broken down into many smaller ones; I went through college as an international student. I moved away from home for the first time. I rented my first apartment. I struggled with a long distance relationship. This segmentation seems indefinite and the list can be made huge.
Some of these experiences were great and will be remembered happily for the rest of my life while others where horrible nightmares that will haunt me forever. Luckily, I will not remember my time in LA as unpleasant by any means. Instead, I will look back smiling and remember it as one of the greatest times of my life.
As I sit here wondering about what to write, I realize how hard it is. As I mentioned, this experience is inexplainable. So much has happened that has changed so many things in so many ways. I can't say much but I can say this; I'm glad that I went away and I'm glad to be back.
For those of you who are thinking about studying or moving abroad, think no further because the fact that you are considering it at all means that you should do it. Live life fully and leave your regrets behind.
That's all.