I traveled to 20 cities in 11 different countries in the 4 months I was studying abroad in Europe. I loved travelling. Do I want to live in Europe again? Probably not. Would I travel there again? Not this exact second, but sure!

The biggest thing that happened while I was there was the Notre Dame catching fire. In fact, I was there 4 hours before it actually caught fire. Of course, my family and friends, being the people they are, started joking that I must've lit a candle that started the fire. This became the joke of my abroad experience, and the story and pictures everyone wanted to see when I got home. The following question, if any, was usually, "So, what other crazy things happened while you were in Europe?"

The thing is, I didn't necessarily love my abroad experience with every fiber of my being the way most people seem to. I spent most of my four months waiting to be home, probably due to the fact that I'm a health major who decided to teach English for four months. I missed being in the same time zone as family and friends, Mexican food, baking, and driving my car (which might be due to the fact that my empty car becomes a Broadway stage When I Drive). I did, however, visit some pretty cool places. I ran on the original Olympic track in Athens. I ate ice cream for a meal in almost every city I visited. I saw the Holland tulip fields on Easter Sunday, and visited a small town in Germany that one of my favorite authors based my favorite series on. I discovered that I love sangria and paella in Madrid. I stayed in a hostel with a dragon door and piano inside in the fairy tale town of the Czech Republic, where the royalty of Europe came to party most summers back in the day. (All hostels should have a piano for those of us who are comforted by playing piano.)

All of this I did by myself. But none of them ever seemed to be the "crazy stories" people wanted to hear. They wanted to hear about the Notre Dame and trip to Paris with my mom or when my grandparents came and took me to Croatia to see where their grandparents were born. Very few people wanted to hear about my ice cream adventures or the hostel with the dragon door and piano inside. They didn't want to hear about the small town in Germany, because they haven't fallen in love with Melanie Dickerson like I have, or they didn't understand why I didn't go to Berlin instead.

So, please, even for those of us who aren't obsessed with their study abroad experience, ask about more than the crazy stories. Ask about their favorite cultural food (trdelnik or Belgian fries) or the best non-tourist place they went (up for debate. Bruges, Belgium? Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic?) or the one thing they would do again if they went back (run on the original Olympic track, but not in a dress this time). Stop asking about the craziest thing that happened. Yes, the Notre Dame burned down, but I was already on the plane back to Brno when that happened. I won't tell you four hours of abroad stories, but ask about something else for once. I don't want to tell the same two or three stories over and over. I want to tell you about the things I actually get excited about, like the fries in Belgium or swimming in the Mediterranean. I want to tell you about different ice creams I tried and that the statue of King Phillip outside the Royal Palace in Madrid was made with a neck that's too long. Ask about the non-highlights, because they tend to be better, more fun stories. Don't let those experiences be just for me, let me share them with you, too.