One week in England turned into three weeks in England, then all of the sudden I realized I have been in England for nearly a month and a half. Personally, time has the tendency to either drag along like a grandma in a marathon, or flash by like a kid running in a candy shop. With no in-between, I often find myself missing the importance of the present moment and the appreciation of living, truly experiencing the here and now. In full honesty, when I arrived, I saw the yawning void of the three months ahead of me as incredibly intimidating and, frankly, scary. I was worried that homesickness would never ease, and friends would never be made, but wow was I so wonderfully wrong.

In the past month and a half, I have traveled the United Kingdom, made memories that I will never forget and friends that will hopefully last a lifetime. Studying abroad has taught me the incredible value of living and appreciating the present moment. When I walked up a hill in Salisbury and was met with Stonehenge, a monument I have dreamed of seeing, the overwhelming feeling of awe I felt will never leave my memory. Instead of worrying about small details I instead sat down, pulled out a snack and stared at an integral piece of history to my far-off ancestors, fully living and cherishing the memory I was making. It is incredibly bittersweet to know that you are living the memories that you will long for in the future, the idea that these are your “golden years” and you simply never want to leave the moment.

In only three weeks I saw Brighton, Stonehenge, Cambridge and London; in those same three weeks, I made friends who I hope to know for the rest of my life. If I was in Missouri right now, three weeks would have been work, a second job or internship, and classes. This comparison has shown me that it truly is up to you how much you can do with your life. My friends here have jokingly given me the title “tube master” because I have learned the London underground well enough to direct us through every trip. It came in quite handy when we stayed in London for three days! I spent my most recent weekend in London, England, and saw so many things I never thought I would be lucky enough to see.

The weekend consisted of having tea at Kensington Palace, sticking my head through the gates of Buckingham Palace at 11 p.m., seeing “The Phantom of the Opera” (my first real musical), the Tate Britain, the National Gallery, the Natural History Museum, the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, a Harry Potter filming location tour and so much more. I experienced staying at a hostel for the first time in my life, which was quite the experience. I never knew that blow-drying your hair at one in the morning was typical behavior until I saw one of my hostel roommates do it.

From Oct. 22 to 31, the University of East Anglia gives us something called “reading week.” We have no classes, and I will be spending it in Paris, Rome and the Scottish Highlands with my friend Tillie who is from New York (I was very enthused to find some fellow Americans). The trip happens to overlap with my 22nd birthday and I cannot think of a better way to spend it than in the Scottish Highlands, seeing where my ancestors lived so many years ago. I continue to miss my family daily, but I now am beginning to miss the time I have already spent in England and look forward to the remaining time I am lucky enough to have here. To those that have dreams of seeing the world, follow them, no matter the cost and despite the hard work it will take; follow every dream you have because nothing is more rewarding than seeing yourself live your dreams and conquer fear.