On December 19th, 2015, I found myself on a flight back to the Twin Cities from Manchester, England, and leaving Liverpool, my home for the last four months. This day in particular had been a stressful one; not only did we have to navigate our giant luggage sets that we hadn't used for months on and off busses and escalators, but we also had to confront the reality of leaving the people we had grown so close to at extremely early hours of the morning (5 A.M.) when emotions are naturally running high. My flight had also been delayed by a substantial amount of time, leaving me to wait with friends until their flight departed, and allowing me time to sit on airport bookstore floors and read endless amount of book covers while keeping a watchful eye on my luggage.

After twitchily sleeping with my arms draped protectively over my suitcases, I boarded my flight to Chicago, killed some time in the airport that the McCallisters continuously run through in every "Home Alone" movie, before sleepily promising the flight attendant that I would "totally" be willing to help out in the case of an emergency (since I was sitting near the exit doors), before promptly sleeping for the next two hours on my flight back to Minneapolis.

Exhaustedly greeting my parents at the baggage claim, telling my most recent stories of being abroad in a jumbled manner before eventually getting home and sleeping.

However, my internal body clock hadn't quite adjusted to the 6-hour time regression, so, despite going to bed at midnight, my body promptly woke me up at 6 A.M., convinced it was really noon. However, despite this lack of sleep, I couldn't believe that 24 hours ago I had been in England.

Now, almost exactly a year later, I can't believe that it's been that long since I was taking the bus to university, the train into the city centre, and planning a trip for every weekend. I'm not quite sure when I'm going to be able to go back to Liverpool, but, being abroad and how my experiences have culminated into life long memories and abilities.

While the panic may have been extreme at the time, now I could never be more grateful for having to find my own way to my residence hall campus by strategically figuring out which bus would get me to my campus, and ultimately to my home away from home. This occurrence taught me confidence, and that my resources to solve any problem are often right in front of me. This is a skill that I know will benefit me for the rest of my life, regardless of whether it has to do with school or finding the best way to make it to the airport on time in a country that doesn't have English as its first language.

The appreciation that is gained for not just one culture but for many, for experiencing these new cultures with other friends with a mutual fascination for these cities full of history. The formation of friendships and bonds fueled by a love of travel and a drive to take in as much as we can with the time that we're given to live in Liverpool.

Aside from taking in the most notable sights of the world (Big Ben, Gaudi's city of Barcelona, the highlands of Scotland), the smaller moments of taking time away from writing essays to grab a pot of tea at the local teahouse, grabbing the train in to the city centre for some much-needed Nando's, or walking to Sefton Park on one of the last vibrant fall days of October will forever be the smaller details that I remember fondly. It has caused me to pause and remember the finite moments of each day.

The people I have met have inspired me to take chances in both travel and everyday life; I have not only traveled to Los Angeles this past summer, but I'm also preparing to head to Chicago and New York this winter break, making it both a relaxing and whirlwind experience. I've pursued the idea of graduate school, I've sought out internships, and have embraced the idea of a purposeful if slightly uncertain future.

I'll forever be thankful to the people and city of Liverpool; little else could compare to the experiences I've had there, and, now, a year later, I can confidently confirm that even though not all of those who I've met while abroad are in the same place, we will never truly walk alone.