Although I have loved my time in Prague and my experiences travelling around Europe, I am excited to return to Duke. I remember exploring Prague’s cobblestone streets on my first days in the city, and being filled with excitement as I walked past colorful building filled with cute cafes and restaurants that I couldn’t wait to try. During those first few weeks, I couldn’t imagine wanting to give it all up and return to the Duke bubble. However, now that I am coming to the end of my semester abroad, I can’t stop thinking about all the great things I miss about Duke.
1. A Campus
One of the things I love most about Duke is its campus. I will likely spend the rest of my life working in a city, but will never have the convenience and community that comes with being on a campus ever again. After walking 30 minutes everyday to my 9:00 am classes, I absolutely cannot wait to be back on West where I can wake up for class 10 minutes before it starts and still be on time.
2. My Duke Card
This trip has renewed my appreciation for my Duke card. At Duke you can walk out of your dorm with nothing but your Duke card, and you can pretty much do whatever you want all day. In the real world you need credit cards, money, keys, metro pass, gym pass, an actual ID, and so on. I will not miss having to dig through my purse to find each one of those things.
3. The Weather
I am counting down the days until I get to return to great Southern weather. In Prague, I often wake up to weather in the high 30s. What I wouldn’t for weather in the 50s, let alone the 60 or 70-degree Durham weather. I am very ready to retire my real winter jackets and thick wool sweaters in favor of a light jacket in the Durham sun.
4. School Spirit
My program in Prague is through NYU, a school that isn’t known for its school spirit around sports. Even though I am not a huge sports fan, it has made me realize how nice it is to have be at a school where everyone comes together to support our teams. It will be quite a shock to return to Duke Basketball season with the Cameron Crazies, but I can’t wait!
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