Weak. Hungry. Spinning.

I am writing to you from a shared laptop in the lobby of our hostel in Amsterdam. The guy at the front desk has his headphones in (probably trying to tune out the craziness he has to deal with daily), the WiFi is somewhat possessed, and the walls have a beautiful mural complete with vivid graffiti and the sun wearing shades and smoking some green.

Every year, the students studying abroad in Greece receive one week to venture off on their own for spring break. This means we are responsible for booking our own flights, reserving accommodations, and re-packing everything because all of Europe is about to be at our fingertips.

Me and three other girls are wandering the cobble stone streets of Rome, the canals of Amsterdam and will be jetting off to colorful Barcelona in the morning. Along the way, we have slept in airports, have had card accounts freeze on us and have even witnessed our professor get her bag snatched in Istanbul before we all separated.

However, this journey is teaching us to become better problem solvers, know where to get free junk, look out for one another in shady situations, become more independent and work better as a team. Little by little, it’s changing us. Shaping who we’ll be at the end of this trip.

Traveling can be a scary, emotional, overwhelming experience, but never let the bad things keep you from having a good time. Learn as much as possible, get lost often, make new friends and try the dish with the funny name.

Speaking of food, I am going to go do something about this empty belly. You will not believe the diverse selection of food the Netherlands has to offer… if the world was a buffet, it would be an alley in Amsterdam. Cheers!