Within the next two weeks I will leave Notre Dame and South Bend behind as I travel home to New York. Most people will do the same as they go home to enjoy their summer. But, most of them will return in the fall for the start of a new semester. I will not. I have the amazing opportunity to go abroad to Rome, Italy in the fall, and although I am thrilled, I am also a little nostalgic about what I will miss.
It is quite obvious that when it comes to abroad there is a more popular semester, because who would want to miss football, right? Well when it came time to choose which semester I wanted to go, football wasn’t my main concern. And although I am going to miss football there are some things I will miss far more than tailgating on Saturdays.
To start, how can one not miss Notre Dame in the fall. There is no prettier campus in the world than Notre Dame when all the trees change color. Campus turns into something out of a painting and you get the urge to sing Pocahontas’ “Colors of the Wind.” I know I will experience a lot of beautiful things abroad, but nothing can take away from Notre Dame’s fall foliage.
I will also miss the weather. That sounds strange, but I can tell you that having the South Bend winter to come back to isn’t as appealing as the summer and fall. I am a sucker for a good sweater, jeans, and vest look and that is pretty much is this University’s uniform come October. Hopefully Europe appreciates said look too.
I would be remiss if I didn’t say I will miss the school spirit because it is infectious. When I was a junior in high school I was so attracted to Notre Dame because everyone bled gold, green and blue. Obviously football plays a big part in that, but so do the other sports. I love going to the hockey games, soccer and basketball. It’s a community that you won’t find anywhere else.
But, most importantly I will miss the people. The cliché, “the people make the place” is so true when it comes to Notre Dame. I would have never fell in love with the school if there weren’t incredible people here. In such a short amount of time we have made friendships that will last us a lifetime and taking away one semester really does make a difference.
Study Abroad isn’t all bad though! I know I will have some of the greatest experiences of my life and have the opportunity to travel places I will never again get the chance to. When weighing the decision to go abroad, always ask yourself what’s worse missing one semester at an amazing place or getting to visit tons of other awesome places? Maybe it isn’t that simple, but don’t stop yourself from doing awesome things for the fear of missing out. I will definitely miss Notre Dame, but I cannot wait for what abroad has in store!
XOXO
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