Change is always possible.
It is strange to imagine this all ending very soon. After living in Hungary for almost nine months, it is strange to imagine going home for real and it not just be a far-off day dream. Homesickness has been a steady companion for me on this journey. From missing the big things like my family, friends, partner, and pets, to missing little things like lemonade slushies from Zaxby's, or my weighted blanket back at home. It has been incredibly hard to face an entirely new world all on my own, living alone and not speaking the native language. I have grown so much and learned to stand on my own, but I won’t deny that it has been challenging. For anyone who has faced it or one day will, I want to reassure you that it’s okay to miss home while being on a grand adventure, and that on the return there will be things you miss about the adventure, too.
One of my favorite books of all time covers this issue extensively: "The Hobbit" by J.R.R Tolkien. If you’re ever feeling lost and longing for home, I suggest you, too, turn to a certain homebodied hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. Over the course of this book, the main character spends a lot of time longing for home, learning hard lessons along the way. But in the end, he is changed for the better, becoming braver and stronger than he could’ve imagined.
That’s what travel and adventure does to a person. It is transformative and it does this by putting us through difficult situations and pushing us through to the other side. It might be painful or stressful, but in the end the experience is worth it. I say all this as both a reflection on my time here in Hungary and as encouragement to all of you as you consider your future and the exploration ahead of you.
