It has now been more than a month since I returned from Scotland where I completed an internship abroad. I had the privilege of working for the Scottish Seabird Centre where I worked as a marketing and education intern. And the experience honestly feels like a dream.

I met some of the most amazing people at my host site. My coworkers became my friends and looked after me while I was thousands of miles away from home. They brought me comfort when my life seemed to plot against me and I thought I couldn’t preserver through the homesickness.

Looking back, I can’t believe how much I learned from them. Not only did they teach me about living in a foreign country, they taught me more about how to become useful in an office setting as well as build what I hope will remain lifelong relationships. And I miss them dearly. They were the reason I felt at home and reminded me that there was more to this experience than what was in the job description.

While living alone in a new city, I had to become more or less self-sufficient and reliant in a foreign place. But I knew that I always had an amazing group of people to fall back on if I ever needed company or someone to talk to. I count myself incredibly lucky to have found such wonderful people who still manage to have an impact on my life even from halfway across the globe.

I miss living and working in Scotland, but more than that, I miss the people who made my time there worth while. The people make the experience above anything else and I can’t wait to go back to see my friends who made my study abroad so special.