european journey .

Today my brother set off on an adventure that will change his life forever. This afternoon was the last time I'll see him for three weeks. He's traveling to Europe, through the same organization that I traveled with, a sort of student ambassador program. It's amazing to me that it's been so long since I went on mine. The time has truly passed at an extraordinary rate. I was only 16 at the time, and it blows my mind to think that was 4 years ago. At that time, I had no idea what college I was going to or what I was going to study, in fact it probably wasn't in my thoughts at all.


And yet I went and for 3 weeks had the best time of my life. We visited museums, monuments, experienced local culture, stayed with a random family that barely spoke English and became a part of the family, and despite the fact that all of the delegates barely knew each other in the beginning, by the time we were on the plane home we never wanted to leave. And it was not just because we were on a glorified vacation -- it was because we had become so tight that it would be difficult to live life without these people.

I remember the thing that I think we all missed the most was meal time. Those were crucial parts of the day that were sometimes very squeezed into the schedule and we were usually hot and sweaty and hungry. But every time you had the opportunity to reminisce about the day's adventures, or about how long the bus ride that day had been. And being that there had to have been a good 50 of us, dinner conversations were never dull. As with any group, you ended up liking hanging with some people more than others. Either way, I think that coming home, we all missed those big meals. Waking up by yourself to a lonely bowl of cereal at an empty kitchen table in an empty house simply wasn't the same.

Tears were shed on the final morning, where members of the Connecticut delegation that we came with got up at a ridiculous hour (probably somewhere close to 3 or 4am) just to say goodbye to us as we departed for our flight at the main airport in Rome. Some had stayed up through the night, trying as best they could to hold on to the time that was quickly slipping through their fingers. But as the saying goes, all things must come to an end. And that was it.

For awhile I kept in contact with a few people, in close contact actually. And though the times when I hear from a fellow traveler now are few and far between, if at all, it is always a pleasant surprise. Those people were really awesome.

What all this boils down to is that my brother got the chance for the same sort of thing; he will just be spending his time in different places. But the scenario is pretty much the same, and I wish him the best in his travels. Not having him here for 3 weeks is not only going to be weird, but it will not be easy. He and I are always good buffers between child and parent. I'll basically be getting a taste of what it's like for him while I'm away at school -- just you and the parents. It'll almost be like being an only child. I'm not sure that I'm going to like that. We may not talk very much, but my brother and I are two peas in a pod. We'll see how it goes.

Since there won't be any means of contacting him, I wish him the best -- and pray that he stays safe while being able to have an absolute blast. Love you buddy. See you in three weeks.