A good friend called me (or I called her...I can't remember) right before my first flight towards Geneva took off in early September. As I sat in the Detroit airport trying not to have multiple panic attacks at once, this friend assured me that while getting to Geneva and being there for the first few days would be scary, the scariest part would be leaving Geneva. She said I would surely make friends and have the time of my life and all of my worries would wash away, but she warned me to watch out because the end of the trip would come far too soon and that's when the really scary part happens. The part where you don't know if you'll ever be back in Geneva, the part where you don't know when or if you'll ever see your study abroad friends again, and most importantly the part where you KNOW things will never again be like they were for that beautiful three months during the fall of 2009. I knew she was right when she told me that, but I didn't realize just how scary it would be to leave Geneva.
We spent our last week in Geneva working and packing, and promising to not talk about how on Saturday we would all be leaving. On Thursday night we had a family thanksgiving, potluck style, that was honestly one of the best thanksgivings I've ever had, then most of the group headed to our favorite pub, Spring Brothers, that we frequented every Thursday (and sometimes Friday & Saturday) night to say goodbye to the pub that brought many of us together. We bought t-shirts and posed for numerous photos before leaving Spring Brothers and that dreaded hill that we climbed weekly to get to the pub, one last time. Friday brought even more packing, the halls were filled with trash and people trying to shove more things into already full bags. Friday also brought my mom and grandparents to Geneva, I picked up them early on Friday morning and after taking a nap we walked around a bit seeing the UN, where I worked and eventually where I lived. After the grandparents & my mom headed back to the hotel for the evening, the group got ready to go out to a fondue dinner put on by my program. The restaurant was right on the lake and was made even more special by the fact that everyone dressed up for the dinner. As dinner slowly came to an end, the goodbyes started. First to leave was Bryan, the only Ohio Stater to live on our floor and someone who I looked forward to having pop into my room nightly to chat. It was decided the week earlier that the last night in Geneva would be spent celebrating, so after the first initial goodbye, we headed back to Le Cenacle to celebrate our study abroad with an "America" party. Everything had an American theme, from the music to the dress code and the night was spent reliving memories, posing for photos and saying even more goodbyes.
I was never good at goodbyes, I'm always the overly sensitive one who acts irrationally and embarrasses herself by crying, the last night in Geneva was no different. I just couldn't, and still can't, believe that three months went by so quickly. In the past three months I've learned more about myself than I ever thought possible. Part of it was from myself and my experiences, part of it was Geneva but the biggest part of it was because of my beautiful and dysfunctional study abroad family. I'll never forget all of the good times we've had, or the bad ones, and for that I am forever grateful. The past 3 months created a bond between all of us that will last forever. I'm not sure if the people on the trip knew just how much they meant to me, but it has become evident that even if we all lose touch and never see each other again I'll always carry a part of them with me because it was my study abroad family who helped me in realizing who I am and who I want to be.
