Kat's last post

I am not the happiest about how my freshman year turned out.  I would have ideally done my semester abroad any other semester than my very first one, and I would have really liked to have finished my second semester actually in the classroom.  Although this year was hectic for many reasons, I would not have changed the way that things turned out.

One thing that I learned is that I am simultaneously very good and very terrible at moving.  I have had to move in and out of dorms twice now, and since receiving the news from my family that we are moving to Helena, Montana this summer, I have done a significant amount of packing since I arrived home.  When it comes to the process of moving, I am an even blend of both of my parents: my dad has been boxing things up everyday like a maniac, and my mom feels accomplished after sorting through one book shelf. My style of packing is very quick and efficient, but almost always out of necessity.  Although every time I have needed to pack, I have had enough notice to start early and pack at a reasonable pace, I wait until the very last second every single time. I waited until the night before when I was leaving Ireland to pack. I packed my entire room in about forty minutes when leaving Boston because I didn’t check the time that my storage facilities closed. Just now, I waited to get my room in order until 15 minutes before the carpet people showed up.  Although I am horrible at actually starting to pack, I am very good at it when under pressure.

One thing that I really miss now that I’m at home are the new surroundings.  I really like exploring new places, whether that be in a new city to me like Boston, or traveling around Europe. I really do love my hometown in Minnesota.  Maple Grove isn’t a small town, but I feel like I’ve already seen every inch of it.  When I was in Ireland, a new adventure was just a plane ride away, and I made some of my best memories traveling.  My favorite destination was by far Romania; being there was the second time I had ever seen mountains, and I got to learn all about its history and explore ancient castles. In Boston, I got to explore new places to eat.  Minneapolis has a very different feel than Boston, we don’t have nearly as many cool places to eat.  I had my first real Chinese food; I didn’t realize until this semester that PF Changs doesn’t really count. 

I am really sad that my first semester on the Boston campus got cut short, but I am glad to have a little extra time at home.  The idea to move had been up in the air for a while before we were all sent away, but it hadn’t really hit me that the move was most likely going to happen.  It has been really nice to reconnect with people like my coach and a few of my friends while I still have time in Minnesota.  A lot of situations sucked during freshman year, but for me everything worked out okay in the end.