A recap of how I spent my time before arriving at HWR

It’s incredible how time goes by. I clearly remember the day I left Fresno and my first week away was a bit tough for me, considering I was going to be away for the next 8 months. Certainly not my first time abroad, but first time alone. It’s been 6 incredible months so far. Many great memories captured so far and only a couple bad ones; Lost baggage, which lead to a delay in the start of my trip and a person jumping in front of my train provoking a 5 hour delay to clean up his remains, crazy huh? Second week abroad was great… of course the fact that I was spending New Year’s in Berlin made it much better and the alcohol did nothing but help. I’ve done most of my travels by train, so far I visited 16 countries in Europe and want to keep going, never thought traveling by train could be so fun, you get a chance to appreciate the landscapes and the scenery. Traversing the Alps from Zurich to Milan was probably the trip I enjoyed the most… not sure if it was because of the girl that kept me company aboard the train or the sights of the lakes and the snowy peaks. I’m just glad I gave myself the chance to open my eyes a bit more, to learn about other cultures to give me a better understanding. I highly anticipated Italy…See Milan, the Duomo, the Last Supper… I’ll probably pretend it’ll be the Last Supper for me as well and overindulge in Pasta, Gelato, Espresso and Wine hehe, and then kept going on to other cities. I had about two weeks to regain all the weight I had lost and then took off to Eastern Europe. Poland was by far the cheapest, and Dublin and Scandinavia… made me readjust my budget, it’s incredible how expensive those places were. I’m glad I’ve gotten the chance of clearing some clouds that I had in my head. And very happy to have met people that maid my travels more enjoyable. The more days that go by the more I think about relocating to Europe. The places I’ve seen. The people I’ve met. The stories I’ve heard. The food I’ve tasted. But not done traveling yet… a couple more weeks and then off to Dubrovnik…

Christmas Day

So here I am… Minutes away from taking off!

In a few hours I’ll begin new chapter in my life. I’ll try to live abroad and maintain myself while I’m at it. I’m definitely looking forward to the next 9 months in Europe and all the travels I have planned out and the prospect of living in Berlin, in my opinion one of the world’s most vibrant cities. I never thought I would get to spend New Year’s in Berlin for the 2nd

time in a row. Only that this time it will be different, I will spend it with people my age, going to a club, the way it should be. It’ll be different than last

year in the sense that last year I had a dinner with aunts and cousins and

friends of theirs. This will be my second time in Europe, but this will be an entirely

different experience. Away from my parents… hmm… there are pros and cons to that idea, but I’m growing up and living away should make the

transition of moving out of their home easier once I return… I still have to give it more though because not paying rent is my main source of travel money. Well… that’s all for now, I’m being asked to turn my laptop off, soon I’ll be in Berlin!