Before & During
My year in Salzburg was one of the best years of my life, in many ways how could it not be? I had amazing community, I traveled nearly every weekend so not only did I get to know Austria really well, I traveled to 12 other countries. But there was so much more than that-so much growth. If you hover over this box you can find links to a few special artifacts from my time abroad and pre-departure.
This is the letter I wrote in my pre-departure class.
This is an email I sent at the end of my year.
I hope reading these you can see the growth and maturity that occurred, studying abroad meant more than cobblestone streets and train rides. It was a stamp on the metaphorical passport of growth.
Beyond
My time in Salzburg came to a close, I dreaded leaving. I think in many ways I had started to believe that living there was my life and nothing would stop that. Then with one plane ride (albeit 2 airports, getting lost, and crying to not 1 but 5 airport employees, I made it "home." For the next few (cough cough 12) months, I grappled with re-entry, feelings of grief, and struggled to readjust to life in Portland, a place that as a freshman I didn't want to leave. Now, 2 years after leaving Austria, I have some things to show for that tumultuous year.
Two weeks ago (April 2020) I thought this section of my portfolio would look different. I imagined sharing my growth and development and ending with the next chapter being a clear culmination of it all. Life has a funny way of changing plans. I hoped that plan would be heading to Belgium as a Fulbrighter. I included my application essays here because whether or not I got it, these essays ARE the culmination of this portfolio. An explanation of who I became through my experiences and how it all adds up to where I am now (or rather summer and fall 2019). So here it is .
Beyond that, there are few things I am prouder of than this guide I developed to help future Salzburgers with re-entry, it was months of hard work and crying in coffee shops and as cathartic as any experience I've had. Even if no one reads it, it was as much for me as it was for them.