Life Lessons

In 8 short days, I will be back on American soil. Two and a half months has flown by but the experience has been so great that it has got me crossing my fingers that I can return next year.

If one thing is for sure, I have become more accepting of a variety of clichés.

Cliché 1: “Karma is a bitch”. I’ve witnessed this first-hand multiple times. “Karen” has delighted herself in being the worst possible person towards me (and only me) on this trip, regardless of what it meant she would have to do. I’ve taken her abuse like a champ and not retaliated or complained too much, but I won’t deny that there are about 30 or so strangers that I have lived with over these past two months who definitely know about “Karen”. Regardless of how mean she has been, justice has been very swift ever since Thessaloniki. “Karen’s” bank account was frozen after an ATM she used was hacked. “Karen” got sun-poisoning while she was island hopping a few weeks ago. “Karen’s” Kindle broke in Olympia and she purchased another one to be shipped to Athens, which the state of Greece confiscated as a “contraband item”. Although “Karen” has made bits and pieces of this trip hard for me, I have learned from her continual bad luck on this trip that being mean simply doesn’t pay. I’ll always try and remember that from now on.

Cliché 2: “Everything happens for a reason”. There are so many instances in life where a situation is so bad or poorly timed that you don’t know how you’re supposed to benefit or learn from it. Who knew that being kicked out of the whole group dynamic in this trip would actually lead to me meeting dozens of people who are completely different from me and shared so much about their cultures? You’d never think that meeting someone who you have no possible future with could be a good thing and it normally wouldn’t be if it weren’t for the fact that the trip to see him is keeping you from losing your mind with a group of people who clearly don’t like you/being sad that you have to leave a country that you really don’t want to. Dear Life, I have learned to turn your lemons into lemonade and I’m probably better for it.