Last Day :(:

The last leg of our trip brought us to Shakespeare’s hometown, Stratford Upon Avon. Every day of this program had been spent exploring and experiencing incredibly significant things around England. When you are surrounded by that many incredible things sometimes it can be hard to even process that it’s in front of you. We spent the first half of the day seeing Shakespeare’s birthplace, home, and grave. I couldn’t believe that I was in the presence of this person who is so much bigger than life, yet there was his gravestone, buried at a church, like so many other people.

As the study abroad program neared the end, I found myself cherishing my time with the friends I had made more than ever. We went to Anne Hathaway’s cottage, and stood in the same rooms where Shakespeare once stood, but what I’ll remember most about that day is the time I spent exploring the gardens, dancing, taking pictures, and talking with my friends. We went on a haunted ghost tour that was spooky and hilarious, but the highlight of that night was playing drinking games with all my fellow students at the bar across the street. We went to a butterfly sanctuary where we were surrounded by the most vibrantly colorful plants and insects I’d ever seen. But what was most special about it was seeing Dru, who had told me of how her passed family members visit her as butterflies, smile and laugh.

I had expected a lot out of this trip; history, theatre, emersion in a culture. I got all of those things and for that I am so grateful. But what I got out of this trip more than anything was something I hadn’t expected, lifelong friends and some of the happiest memories I’ve ever made. As the trip comes to an end so does my college career, and fittingly I am left typing this blog post, my final assignment. I don’t have the words to express how much I have loved this trip but I have met my word count so I think I’ll stop here and just show you with pictures.