Today marks about nine days before my departure for Europe. Like every spring, finals and projects and the month of May have just completely snuck up on me. This time, however, instead of taking finals and being done and moving on with summer, I’m almost immediately hopping on a plane and going to Europe – as if I didn’t feel overwhelmed enough. When I signed on for the program, it seemed like it was always going to be in the future. The next thing I knew, I looked up and I was leaving in two weeks. I really haven’t thought about it as a reality much.
All that being said, I couldn’t be more pumped to go on the tour. As soon as I tie up all my loose ends at home, I can’t think of a better time than touring Europe with some of my favorite professors and good friends, waltzing through gardens that are hundreds of years old, experiencing the cities and the culture, and viewing famous artworks. I know I’ll get as much as possible out of the tour too, since I’ll be going with Dr. Tim Smalley who has guided the tour for almost twenty years. I’ve taken a few classes with him, including woody plant ID, and already gone on few trips with him and the Horticulture club to gardens around the U.S.. I know that there’s no one better than him to walk through a garden with.
I’m a horticulture major, so naturally I am most excited about the gardens that we’ll visit, if you couldn’t tell. There will be so many new plants to learn and landscapes to take in… I know I’ll be just as happy as I can be in those gardens. I hope to absorb it all for use in gardening when I get home, and for later in my life and career.
