Final Thoughts

It has now been four weeks since I left Utah and came back to the United Kingdom.  I have been busy starting an internship, waitressing and getting used to living back home again!
But I’ve been aware that I need to tie this blog off and sum up my year abroad.
It was definitely one of the best experiences in my life so far.  Although the experience had its ups and downs, I wouldn’t change it and don’t regret anything.  I got to explore and travel to so many places and met some amazing people along the way.
The last few weeks were a mixture of sadness and excitement.  I was excited to see my family and be back amongst all the amazing food in the UK, but also so sad to leave so many amazing people and the city that I had come to love and be able to call a home.  I made the most of the last few days, spending time with friends and enjoying our last few days together.  It was so tough saying goodbye to so many wonderful people but I’m blessed to have so many friends around the world now to support from afar and reconnect with in the future.  It just means I have a lot of exciting trips around the world coming up!
Saying goodbye to Salt Lake City was hard as well as I have so many memories of my time there.  I loved the idyllic setting in which the university was placed and miss my amazing view of the mountains out of my dorm room.  Being able to see all the seasons play out in Salt Lake was amazing, I was lucky to have a really hot summer, beautifully mild fall, ski filled winter and a mix of sun in the valley and great snow in the mountains in the Spring.  It’s such a unique place and I’m glad I got to experience it all.

The city itself is also amazing, with such a variety of people and a great sized downtown area.  It was the perfect sized city to live in, with enough skyscrapers for me to know I was in an American city but small enough so you weren’t overwhelmed.  I had great fun exploring different parts.

From the skiing to the travelling, from the house parties to the evenings chilling with friends, I really feel like I got the authentic American college experience and can say I’ve done the majority of things 16yr old me was dying to do!

To everyone who made me feel so welcome in Utah and America, I want to thank you for your friendliness and willingness to show me around your state and country.  I loved meeting  and spending time with all of you and will endeavour to catch up with you all when I return to Utah in the future.  If you ever find yourself in my part of the world, I would also love to see you! I want to say a special thank you to Nisha, my roommate who really shaped my year.  Not only did she graciously introduced me to her friends, but through her I met amazing people, had some great experiences and we both changed each other for the better.  She was always there for me when I wanted to rant and I have so many memories with her that I will cherish.  I’m lucky to say that I made some friends for life on my year abroad as well as a Best Friend.

I can’t believe the year went by so quick, but I’m excited for the next adventure.  I will be travelling to Thailand and Vietnam next month with Leonie and her friend Becca.  I have realised that the name of this site is pretty limiting and therefore will be creating a new site to share my adventures.  I will share all the information on social media when it is up and running in the next few weeks.
Thank you for spending the time reading about my experiences abroad, I hope it has been interesting and that you have enjoyed coming along for the ride!
Much love


Holly xx