I recently returned home from a month long stay in Vienna, Austria, where I studied abroad with a group of fellow leadership students from my school. Our professor and his family accompanied us and we spent the month using the city as our classroom and exploring the idea of leadership as it relates to culture and history. It was easily one of the most exciting months of my entire life and I will forever cherish the memories I made while in Europe. I was so blessed to be able to visit four countries in such a short time and I even crossed a few things off my bucket list. I learned so many valuable lessons that will undoubtedly impact me for the rest of my life.

I'm being completely honest when I say I learned so much during my time in Vienna. For example, before this trip, I knew very little about how directly the city was affected by World War I and II, or how many famous composers and musicians were born or lived in "The City of Music." I also learned about the Habsburg Monarchy which ruled Austria for over 600 years and still holds a powerful influence over the culture today. Learning about the rich history of Vienna while actually being there made me feel more connected to the city and grew my desire even further to learn about the place I was living.

Not only did I gain an extensive knowledge of Austria's history, but I also learned what life is like in Europe and how it is both similar to and different from our American culture. I experienced what it is like to live in a German-speaking country, and I learned to adapt and adjust to seemingly strange things like no air-conditioning, having to pay for public bathrooms, and really humid public transportation systems (ew!!!). Sure, I complained a little, but looking back, I honestly wouldn't change any of it. More importantly, I experienced really cool things like hiking through the Bavarian Alps, taking a bus to and from the two closest capital cities in the world (Vienna, Austria and Bratislava, Slovakia) in just one day, and even learning to communicate in German (barely). My experiences made me a more cultured person and helped me to treasure the fact that everyone is different and we should embrace those differences in life while respecting each other.

I grew so much as a person on my trip, and I will always look back on it as one of the greatest experiences of my life. I found a deep love for traveling and experiencing other cultures, and I can't wait to see where I end up next. This world is huge, and I want to be able to see and experience it with an open mind and a happy heart.