Trains
“The thing about trains... it doesn't matter where they're going. What matters is deciding to get on.”
Soft lights dance past my mirror. A nightly occurrence gone unnoticed. That is until I realized it would no longer be a part of my routine. It’s 10:31 and the train is just leaving Oberkorn making its way to Lux City. I rarely considered this night train, but as one of my last nights in Luxembourg it stood out. Moving slowly along the distant horizon and lighting up the sky surrounding the desolate farmland, I was reminded of the Polar Express. Maybe it was because it was so close to Christmas, but I’d like to think it was an attempt to shed light on the four amazing months I had just endured.
By now, you are all beginning to settle in to your new home for the semester. Excited and most likely still a little anxious for what’s to come, you anticipate these next months and all that they will bring. But let me break it to you – what you’re imagining is most likely not how your time abroad will play out. Rather, these four months will question your patience, expand your horizons, and introduce you to beauty unlike anything you’ve laid eyes upon. These next four months will far exceed your imagination.
Soft lights dance past my mirror. A nightly occurrence gone unnoticed. That is until I realized it would no longer be a part of my routine. It’s 10:31 and the train is just leaving Oberkorn making its way to Lux City. I rarely considered this night train, but as one of my last nights in Luxembourg it stood out. Moving slowly along the distant horizon and lighting up the sky surrounding the desolate farmland, I was reminded of the Polar Express. Maybe it was because it was so close to Christmas, but I’d like to think it was an attempt to shed light on the four amazing months I had just endured.
By now, you are all beginning to settle in to your new home for the semester. Excited and most likely still a little anxious for what’s to come, you anticipate these next months and all that they will bring. But let me break it to you – what you’re imagining is most likely not how your time abroad will play out. Rather, these four months will question your patience, expand your horizons, and introduce you to beauty unlike anything you’ve laid eyes upon. These next four months will far exceed your imagination.
So why am I talking about the Polar Express and what do trains have to do with your experience? Well, a wise conductor of the Polar Express once stated, “the thing about trains... it doesn't matter where they're going. What matters is deciding to get on.” You have just embarked on an adventure, or a metaphoric train. You have made the decision to get on and you now sit in a quaint chateau in a little town called Differdange in a country roughly 51x35 miles. But let me tell you, this was only your first train of many and you have only just arrived. You will be presented with countless opportunities over the course of this next semester. Take advantage of every single one. Push yourself to meet new people and get close to your MUDEC class. Build a relationship with your teachers, staff, and homestay; they have so much insight to offer. And travel and explore as often as you can! Always choose to get on the train, even when you’re not quite sure the direction it’s going. No matter where it takes you, the experience will be well worth the ride.
And one day, months from now, you will wake up in a bed back in the United States and wonder if it was all dream. For this experience and this train you have bought a ticket for is far more magical than you could ever comprehend in this moment –don’t take any second for granted.
Lily Manchester,
Fall ‘17 Ruth & Leeland Dutton Award Recipient
And one day, months from now, you will wake up in a bed back in the United States and wonder if it was all dream. For this experience and this train you have bought a ticket for is far more magical than you could ever comprehend in this moment –don’t take any second for granted.
Lily Manchester,
Fall ‘17 Ruth & Leeland Dutton Award Recipient