On December 16th, 2019, I made the same 5,000 mile journey back home to Arizona. I remember looking out the plane window and seeing beautiful Lisbon for one last time. While I was physically flying back home, my heart was still at home in Lisbon right next to the deep blue waters of the Rio Tejo (Tagus River). I couldn't believe how fast time flew while I was in Portugal. This was my longest trip ever abroad, and yet it still felt like it went by in the blink of an eye. While saying goodbye to all my new friends was hard, I came home knowing I now have friends from across the world.
I returned home to start the last semester of college. I was so excited to graduate. January and February, 2020 were some of my best months at college. Still excited about my recent time abroad in Portugal, I was doing well in my classes and catching up with old friends. I had even found out I was selected as a Critical Language Scholarship Finalist to study Portuguese in Brazil in the summer of 2020! I knew then that studying abroad in Portugal was just the beginning of my language and cultural immersion.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit in March, I felt like the world had swept the rug from underneath my feet. All my classes went virtual, my internship went remote, and my plans to study abroad in Brazil in the summer were cancelled. I felt like my international journey was abruptly halted.
