Reflection on the Summer of a Lifetime

As I sit in front of this screen the night before my junior year of college, I think about the incredible summer I just experienced. I traveled to new places, did a lot of thinking and reading, and enjoyed every minute of it. This summer taught me more than I could have imagined about the world, and my place in it.

I studied abroad with Florida State University in the month of may. I was lucky enough to take a Theatre Class in London where I saw twelve shows in the span of four weeks. Three of these shows I saw at Shakespeare’s Globe theatre. Before going to London, I was not a fan of Shakespeare. I had a bad taste of the work left over from high school. However, the Shakespeare I saw in London was unlike any I had seen before. The team at the Globe did an excellent job modernizing the script while paying great respect to the original work. Standing in the audience among other eager theatre goers felt like more of a communal experience than I have ever had. People from everywhere from all walks of life were there. The shows were so accessible to all, often only 5 pounds for a ticket.

Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

I saw a local stand up comedy show on the first night I was in London. My flatmates and I just happened to run into the venue and saw it was free for students so we went in. Being late, of course the only seats available were the ones in the front. Naturally, sitting in the front lends itself to being picked on by the comedian. When one comic found out we were American, the jokes about our country and our president would not end. I thoroughly enjoyed being so actively involved in the show, but I doubt my friends there would say the same. I was so interesting (and hilarious) hearing about American habits from the English. Another comedy show we went to was called “Margaret Thatcher, Queen of Game Shows.” While most of the British political jokes went over my head, I felt more like a local that night than any other night on my trip.

In London I tried to see as much as I could with the time I had there. Aside from theatre, I loved to go to the markets, parks, and museums. I would often take transit and explore the city on my own, always finding treasures where I least expected them. I took a trip to the Pembrokeshire Coast of Wales at the end of my third week in London. By that time I admittedly was getting a little tired of being in the center of the city of London, so I was looking forward to being surrounded by nature. A trip that should have taken us 6 hours took us 10, but I became close with those on my program. In Wales, we went sea kayaking through caves and along the rocky shoes. We went hiking on a trail high above the water with a view that could have been in a Travel Channel special on the most beautiful places in the world. Finally, we went coasteering, which is where you jump off a cliff into the ocean, swim to the shore down the way, climb up the rocks to the next cliff, and do it all over again. I felt like I could have been in a Nature Valley granola bar commercial. Coasteering was undoubtedly the coolest thing I’ve ever done.

After an exciting and immersive experience in London, I loaded up my backpack for a two week tour of Western Europe. The day after I got to my first stop, Amsterdam, the attack on London Bridge happened. I had been by London Bridge time and time again, over the bridge on a bus tour, under the bridge on a river cruise, in the area at a pub. I awoke the day after the attack to a phone full of missed calls, texts, and messages, social media feeds full of friends checking in and Londoners in terror. When terrorism happens to a place you’ve been and you’ve loved, it is quite a different feeling the the sympathy that arises from attacks elsewhere. Though I am not a citizen of England, I felt the pain that the country was going through.

Thankfully during all of the chaos surrounding the attack, I was safe in Amsterdam. Besides London, Amsterdam was my favorite city I visited. We took a canal cruise, saw the Van Gogh museum, the Anne Frank House, the Heineken Experience, the Red Light District, the Coffeehouses, and ate some fantastic Dutch and Indonesian food. Each of these experiences came together in a way that made for the most memorable and enjoyable weekend.

My next stop was Barcelona, where I had sangria at almost every opportunity. Spain was vibrant and lively from the beach crossing part of the Mediterranean sea to the mountains. We saw La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell. Out of the four of us who were traveling together, I am proud to say that (I think) my Spanish was the best. I tried to make conversation with our many cab drivers who spoke little English, all of whom were very friendly and appreciative of our effort. As we were leaving Barcelona to go to Rome, we ran into some fellow Florida State students, which was cool to find someone from home abroad.

*it’s a joke*

When in Rome….. we did what you’d expect. We saw the Colosseum and the Pantheon and the Vatican and the Trevi Fountain and ate lots of pasta and gelato. Rome was good, but nothing compared to Florence in my opinion. Florence looked like what I pictured to be quintessentially Italian. We of course ate more Italian food and drank more Italian wine, and it really puts American Italian food to shame. We saw the leaning tower of Pisa, the Duomo, and David in the Accedemia Gallery. The view from the Piazza del Michelangelo was a dream. The Boboli Gardens and the surrounding area looked like the Italian murals in your local Olive Garden came to life.

My trip so far had been incredible, but I was ready to travel to Paris, for the first time on my own. I was of course nervous for my solo travel, but after a few hours of exploring the gorgeous city of Paris, my nerves calmed down and I was in love. I was in love with the fact that I could spend as much time as I wanted looking at the priceless and stunning works in the Louvre. I was in love with sitting on a restaurant terrace at sunset eating the best creme brulee of my life. I was in love with the sparkle of the Eiffel tower after the sun went down. Paris was the last stop on my backpacking trip, and all I could think about was how lucky I was to have had the opportunity to travel to places so many dream about. I watched the Parisians go about their day, wondering where they were going and what they were doing, appreciating that they were a part of my European experience even if only for a moment. I would whole-heartedly recommend solo travel to anyone and everyone. The time I spent by myself in a new and exciting place rejuvenated my mind and my spirit.

Paris was kind of the end of my trip. I returned to London for one night before flying back to the states from there. I walked around the streets I became so familiar with. I picked up a book from a second hand book shop and sat on a bench in the square closest to FSU London campus. I started to read, but ended up just watching the people around me. I saw a little girl run up to her mother and the mother picking her up and swinging her around. It was a really beautiful moment and for whatever reason it struck a note within me and I began to cry. If you know me, I hardly ever cry, so this was very different for me. I was overwhelmed with emotion. I truly made the most of my six weeks abroad, and knew it would not be the last time I would see Europe. I was proud of myself for making this dream of studying and traveling abroad a reality. I was filled with gratitude for the experiences Europe afforded me. On the morning of my flight back to Florida, my best friend I made on the trip and I went to Primrose hill to watch the sunrise. Being with her and overlooking the skyline of London was the perfect was to close my journey.

Love you forever, London

I returned home to my comfortable bed and easy routine. After sleeping, relaxing, and catching up with friends, I wanted something more with my summer. My friend told me about an opportunity to be a camp counselor at one of the best weight-loss camps in the country. I had always wanted to be a camp counselor, but I never wanted to give up my whole summer, and I was trying to make more money to save for Europe! All of the details ended up working out, and not even two weeks after returning from Europe I was off to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. Camp was definitely an adjustment, especially starting out with the rigorous work outs and small meal portions. Soon enough I was settled into the camp way of life. I do hope I inspired my campers to be the best versions of themselves, no matter what shape or size they are at. So many camp counselors say this but I’m going to say it too… my 16 and 17 year old girls inspired me. They took hold of their future to practice a healthy and active lifestyle. Many of these campers were starting their weight loss journey, and others had already come so far and were near finishing. All of them tried new workouts and new foods and put in so much effort. Camp not only helped me get in better shape physically, but finally got my mind in the right place for a healthy way of life.

I paused that healthy way of life as my family took a cruise to the Bahamas. The ship was great and the islands were magnificent. It was so nice for my family to take a vacation together, especially before my parents really became empty nesters. We had a lot of laughs and a lot of fun. We are so lucky to actually enjoy the company of our family. My sister and I were up to our usual shenanigans (see my post from Hannah’s 18th Birthday for more info), and I really do love that girl. And I love my Mom. And I love my Dad. Our family is just the best ok.

After returning to Tampa from paradise, I was packing to move back to Tallahassee the next day. I did so much packing, unpacking and repacking this summer, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I returned to my beloved college town and moved into my first apartment. I set up my tv and printer and bookshelf all by myself and I felt like such an adult. I gave a few campus tours which reminded me how happy I am to be at the school I am. I joined my new Union Productions staff at Panama City Beach for an incredible retreat. It got me so excited to begin planning Haunted Harvest, Winter Wonderland, and Spring Fling for our campus community.

So now it’s actually the end of the summer and it’s pretty crazy. It almost feels as though Europe was an entirely different summer than camp, and my family vacation and time at FSU before classes start was the normal part of summer. Any who, it is now close to 1am and I really need to go to bed because I have class tomorrow! I’ve been really thinking about changing my career path with is both exciting and scary because I haven’t actually figured anything out yet, but I am committed to following my passions. If I have learned anything this summer, it is listen to yourself. If you want to spend your hour off laying in the sun, do it. If you want to go to Disneyland Paris alone, do it. If you want to be a person that YOU like to be with, listen to yourself. Everything else will fall into place. What a summer.

I just thought this picture was fun and cute
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Kelsey Oberbroeckling

Written by

Florida State University London living, loving and learning

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