The People I Have Met (Some of them anyway)

"People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. When you figure out which it is, you will know what to do."

- Michele Ventor

At the beginning of a new friendship, there's no telling how long you'll be friends with someone, how great your friendship will be or anything about the relationship for that matter. Regardless, you continue to meet new people and make new friends. Why? Overall, the people you talk to shape the person you are becoming. I have met so many people here in Europe. There are some people that I would love to see again, but they probably won't even remember me. There are those people that probably want to continue a conversation with me, but I might not even remember their names. There are those people that really want to keep in touch but just aren't good at it (like me). There are also those people that really do become friends for life, and whether you see them all the time or not, you keep in touch because you genuinely care about what's going on in their lives and they care about you. Ten years from now, maybe I'll know how to categorize each of these people, but right now, it doesn't really matter. Without going into too many details (for their privacy), here are some of the people I've met and what I'll always remember because of them. 

Jasmine - my first friend in Europe! Our trips to Florence, Milan, Venice and Lido will never be forgotten. This girl helped me transition into the slow-paced lifestyle in Roma because I'm not as relaxed as I should be. She also allowed me to break out of my shell and experience being a different person. 

Megan - She made me do the craziest thing I've done thus far (canyoning) and as much as I hated her during those few hours, I am so grateful. She's been making me push my limits to see what I can really do, and I love it! She's also taught me to just deal with things when you can't change them. I really admire her ability to just "suck it up" and "go with the flow." Hopefully that's something I can take back with me! 

Jim - I met him while I was at Rutgers because he came to present at the pre-departure meeting. I ended up seeing him at least 5 times in Roma before he headed back to the states. What have I learned from him? Be opened minded. Things are different--that doesn't mean that they're bad. Take in as many experiences as possible, and don't forget to share them with others because that's the only way they'll be able to understand you.

Alex, Robin & Hasan - I guess I'll give in and say that awesome conversation I had in Barcelona was with Alex. I learned from these three guys that it's okay to be a normal person that has fun in life while having a professional life. Once you start working, it doesn't mean that everything's over...Back at home, I feel like my friends forget about experiencing new things after they start working, but now I know it's possible to have it all! 

Andy & Quintin - These guys have jobs in the states and they just decided to leave the country and travel for a month! That's awesome! It made me realize that this isn't my last chance to do what I want. There will always be time if I make time...it's up to me. I guess I never realized how much control I have over my life and what I do with it.

Sarah (and Megan, Andy, Quintin, Daniel, Isaac, Simone, Timmay, Helen, Jon) - I'll never forget them because of our absolutely awesome canyoning experience together. It showed me that you can trust people within minutes after meeting them only because they saw you fumble, trip and fall! 

Professor Serafino Amato - I haven't really learned much about photography from him but when he talks and is taking pictures, I can feel his passion. I know that if I truly want to be happy in life, I need a passion like that...and I don't need to know what it is yet, but I do need to start working on it and figure it out by exploring my options!

I have to leave my apartment in five minutes to head out to Berlin but I hope to continue growing this list :) 

So long!