2016 was quite possibly one of the most hectic and eventful years of my life. The consensus showcased on social media seems to be that this year was pretty awful for everyone. All of this propaganda and controversy surrounding 2016 had me thinking back on my year and what I have learned.

Just one year ago, at the beginning of 2016, I was absolutely a different person. I was getting ready to start my first semester at college and I was so nervous for what that might bring. My anxieties about moving to the city and leaving my friends and family behind were though the roof. I had no idea how much this year would change me.

My first semester of college was everything your freshman year is supposed to be. It was awkward, difficult and at times scary, but it was also exciting, fun and a clean slate. I met some amazing people and made even more amazing memories. By the time May rolled around and my finals were done, I was truly sad to be moving out of my dorm.

My first semester brought me a new sense of independence and freedom, but that was nothing compared to what I was about to endure in London. The 10 day gap between the ending of my first semester at BU and the beginning of my first semester in London were easily some of the most stressful days I have endured. Any time someone even mentioned my impending departure I burst into tears. I was terrified. I had never been an ocean away from home without my family to guide me. If there was any point in time throughout this whole year that I could go back and give myself advice, I would not hesitate to choose the moment when my plane was taking off from Boston-Logan Airport and I was staring out the window trying to hold back my tears. I would tell myself that these next six weeks were about to be the best and most memorable of my life thus far and to not waste a single second of them crying about missing home because it will go by so damn fast and every day after that I will wish I could go back.

A month and a half in one of the most amazing cities in the world with my best friends at BU, I’m sure you can only imagine how incredible it was. The weeks flew by way too fast and about 40 days and multiple trips to places such as Oxford, Stonehenge, Bath, and Madrid later, I found myself packing my suitcase to return to America. I cannot even begin to describe the wonderful things I learned about the world and myself during my time abroad but I will say that any college student who gets the opportunity to study abroad would be doing them self an absolute disservice to not take it.

The rest of my summer was spent traveling to different places such as Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Washington D.C., and Cape Cod with my friends and family. After being away from everyone for so long, vacationing with those closest to me was exactly what I needed to get myself ready to start my sophomore year of college.

Going into my second year, I felt a lot more confident than I had in my first. I already had my group of friends, knew my way around campus, and was excited to return back to Boston. I was expecting nothing less than an amazing first semester back.

My feelings on the months ahead really shifted when I had my heart broken on my first day of classes. I felt like my whole plan had been messed up and felt lost. Throughout this whole year, I am most proud of how I handled that situation. I never lost sight of who I was as a person and used it as motivation instead of letting it defeat me. Because of this, my last few months of 2016 have been a huge learning experience for me, a process that is still ongoing to this day.

When I look back on my year as a whole, it is hard to say whether it can be labeled as “good” or “bad.” One thing is for certain, I am a changed person from 365 days ago with a new, amazing perspective on life and a newfound appreciation for myself and I would not trade that for the world. Here’s to hopefully traveling almost as much, discovering more about myself, and pursuing my passions in 2017!