After our packed Thursday, we did not have much of a turnaround before the start of our travel day. Not even an hour after getting back from dinner, we had to be fully packed and ready to hit the road on the way to the Larnaca airport, where we had arrived just 12 days prior. Our first flight (back to Germany) was not until 3 am, so I had a little time that I spent relaxing and writing blogs. The first flight was a rocky one, as the plane was small. I spent it sleeping and watching my TV show (Suits on Prime Video), and landed in Germany about 4 hours after taking off. I didn’t have much time to take in Germany this time around, as boarding for my group’s flight to Chicago was starting not long after. I said my goodbyes to everyone not flying into Chicago, and all of the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia travelers boarded flight two. Although this flight was longer than the first, I enjoyed it more. It felt smoother and I had an aisle seat with nobody in the middle, giving me plenty of room to get a good amount of sleep comfortably. After two hours (really 9 hours but the time change made it so only two passed) we landed in our final layover destination, Chicago.

Upon arrival in Chicago, we were greeted with a scary-looking customs line (see above) that we thought we might spend hours standing in. Thankfully, a friendly employee told us about a shorter line for US citizens that saved us enough time to eat. Wanting to eat something authentic to Chicago, I found a nice restaurant that served an Italian beef sandwich, which I ordered and thoroughly enjoyed. Similar to earlier, my Philly group was the first one to board, so we said goodbye to our program coordinators and the Pittsburgh travelers before going on our third and final flight into Philadelphia. The trip was short and smooth, and I was finally in my home city airport. Our group said our final goodbyes to each other, and the trip had officially come to a close. This trip is and will forever be one of the best experiences I ever made. Our group got along so well, and there are so many lasting memories and friends that I can look back on in the future. It has made me really excited to potentially explore study abroad programs going forward, and I recommend everyone at Pitt apply for the Plus3 program. I’m gonna miss Cyprus, but I am truly grateful for the opportunity to participate in the program. Cyprus, I WILL BE BACK!!