Two days left.

In a recent mothers day letter, I wrote to my mom that the greatest lesson she (and my dad) had ever taught me was to "be where you are you." If you are wishing you were someplace else, or unhappy with where you are (either physically or emotionally), there's normally nothing you can do about it. You're stuck in a place that you'd rather not be in - but you can't help it. The best thing I've learned, is that no matter what and no matter how unhappy you may be, the best thing to do is just... accept it.

When I first came to Amsterdam, I was horrified. Not about the city itself (I'd been to Europe enough for it not to freak me out) but mostly horrified at the thought of missing things. Missing friends, Christian, my family... I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get my mind off of the things I missed and therefore, wouldn't be able to enjoy my time here as much as I'd wanted. Well, the truth is, I thought about those things every single day. I missed them... and I couldn't make that disappear.

BUT...

I learned to just accept it.

I was somehow able to accept the fact that there were things I missed, people I wanted to see and things I wanted to do... and still take full advantage of my 8 months here.

I traveled to 7 cities in the Netherlands aside from Amsterdam - Gouda, Rotterdam, Schiermonnikoog, Gronigen, Den Haag, Utrecht & Leiden. I went to Berlin, Antwerp, Brugge, Paris, Barcelona, Prague, Copenhagen and Malmo. And each and every one of them was AMAZING.

I got straight As in every single one of my classes last semester (and probably will this semester as well) while simultaneously traveling to 15 cities (7 countries) and exploring Amsterdam pretty damn thoroughly.

Despite my "success"... it's also probably important to say that it was really hard. I can't say I accomplished every single thing I wanted to. I think that had I gotten out of bed those few times or went out those nights I decided to stay in, I could have done more. But, I needed that time alone and I think it helped me to balance everything. I've never lived in such a demanding or "stimulating" environment and I am fine with having sacrificed a little exploration for some alone time. Either way, I think I did pretty damn well.

And I survived. Both physically and emotionally and am going back to America in one piece.

I am going to miss a lot of things about Amsterdam. I honestly believe that this city is THE prettiest on earth. Especially at this time of year. The light doesn't leave the sky entirely until at least 11pm and the light reappears at 4am. That's only 5 hours of night. And it's amazing. The days feel incredibly long (because they are) and the weather has been magnificent. On top of it being the prettiest city it's also the most practical. At least for me. From the social policies to the size of the grocery store, everything just makes sense. (Okay, the only thing that doesn't make sense are the no free tap water rules and no refill rules) but other than that, everything else just... works. The bikes, the city structure (canals), the quaintness of everything... I am really, really going to miss it.

But I know that my life will be in America. I learned an unimaginable amount of things here and I will bring those things back with me. I always knew Amsterdam wasn't permanent and although I prolonged it as much as I could, I am ready to go home. And I don't feel bad about saying that because I know I did as much as I could to take advantage of this experience.

I had an absolutely amazing time in Amsterdam. I met some amazing people, some terrible people and had so many unforgettable experiences... both good and bad. I definitely made some mistakes, but it was all worth it. Because I'm happy now. And I know what I want.

And now, with only two days left in this city... I am going OUT. It sickens me to know that there are people here that aren't taking full advantage of their last days... shame on them. Especially with the beautiful weather, there are no excuses.