Adieu

As I sit here in the Frankfurt airport, getting ready to board our flight to Seatac, it is really starting to hit me that I am about to say goodbye to Europe as I embark on the final leg of our journey home. Maybe its because I have been awake for almost 24 hours now but, although I am happy to be returning home, I am also feeling very emotional about ending this once in a lifetime trip. Looking back, I cannot believe just how much we have accomplished and learned in 3 short weeks. I not only saw the best musical performances of my life but also learned immense amounts about the history and culture of the areas we visited. It is also incredible to me how our "routine," if you can call it that, feels very normal now. By this I mean that I am so used to traveling from city to city and spending each day seeing a new museum/historical landmark and each night seeing a breathtaking performance that I am not sure how I will adapt to the monotony of everyday life again. In some ways, this trip seems to have flown by but, in other ways, I feel as if I have been in Europe so long now that the idea of returning home feels a bit strange. I am sure that, in a few short weeks, looking back on this trip will feel like looking back on a dream. That is not to say that we didn't have our ups and downs but, overall, this opportunity we were given was truly magnificent and I am still in awe of the many things I have had the privilege to experience in the past month. I cannot wait to share these memories with my friends and family back home who could not come along with me. In the end, I strongly believe that this trip has made me a better musician, friend, teacher, and overall person. If anything, this trip has truly inspired me to keep on traveling and exploring new places throughout my life so I can continue this self-betterment. I hope to not only return to Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic but visit many new places as well. Even though I am going home today, this will, by no means, be the end of my adventures.

Goodbye for now,

Megan Cummings

Seen at the Lennon Wall in Prague