It’s hard to believe my time in Prague is ending in just under a month. I often walk by the hotel I stayed at when I first got to the Czech Republic, with high expectations and an itch for travel. Now, it almost inevitably forces me to reflect on my time abroad and what I’ve taken from it.

Did I travel everywhere on my bucket list? Did I make the most of my time in Prague? And, the biggest question of all, did it change my life?

Leading up to studying abroad, so many people told me it would be a life-changing experience. They all gained a bunch of new best friends, exciting travel stories, and a new outlook on life. And honestly, when I compare my experience to those standards, I can’t help but feel like I’m not quite there.

Don’t get me wrong, I have made meaningful new friends and strengthened familiar relationships. Riding horses in Montenegro, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin, and even sprinting through the Munich airport during my 30-minute layover are just some of my favorite memories from traveling in Europe.

I’m not sure, though, about the changed view on life. Sometimes, when I walk to my dorm from the tram stop, it feels no different than walking to my Greycliff house back on the Heights. I am similarly stressed about my (albeit much easier) assignments. I’ve maintained my habits and mannerisms. My thoughts and feelings, though on a new continent, don’t seem to have changed much.

I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. Abroad has been an incredibly amazing experience that I am so appreciative to have had. But do I feel all that different? Not really.

What constitutes a life-changing experience? If it’s the immediate feeling of being a whole new person, with all-new ideologies and priorities, then no, abroad wasn’t life-changing. I still feel like the same girl who settled into the hotel my first night.

But being abroad has taught me many new lessons. Since I have fewer commitments and items on my schedule, I’ve had much more free time in Prague. I’ve really been able to work on independence. Things I might have once begged one of my roommates back at Boston College to come with me to, I’m far more comfortable doing on my own now.

I’ve gotten a lot more practice with going with the flow. Missing a flight, changing dinner plans, and make-it-up-as-we-go days that used to send me spiraling, I now have much more experience with (to be fair, missing a flight would probably still ruin my day).

Even my flight anxiety has improved. A looming plane trip used to run my entire day. Now, it’s a fact of life abroad that I’ve been forced to come to terms with.

I don’t feel life-altered. But looking at all the lessons I’ve learned, it’s hard not to predict they’ll change my life, even just slightly, as I navigate new experiences in the future.

Maybe something life-changing doesn’t have to be a grand enlightenment. In a way, everything we go through in life will shape our mentality as we learn and grow from new adventures. I’m excited to see how these lessons will carry over as I move to New York City this summer and into my senior year this fall.

So, did going abroad change my life? The jury is still out. But I won’t be surprised if I do see my lessons learned here show up at home, even if that just means being a little calmer during turbulence.