Things I have learned during my summer in New York City, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Bergen, Hamburg, and Berlin:

- It is not healthy to live out of a suitcase for more than a period of three months
- Generally, Europeans are more culturally suited for adaptation and linguistic familiarity
- No matter where you go, outside of America, you will always be Japanese.
- Although Amsterdam is the city of debauchery and sin, it is...interesting, to say the least.
- Fries taste incredible with mayonnaise.
- Distance increases pain, pain invokes regret
- Forgiveness is in the heart of maturity and a learning situation; anger is useless
- Insecurity is uncomfortable, but there is always a cure
- Cabs here roll deep, in flocks of Benzes
- You can actually get around Europe very cheaply
- Food is infinitely better here, bathrooms infinitely dirtier
- About 90% of Germans and Dutch speak very good english, even if they are ashamed to admit it
- Optimism is necessary. It's time to wake up early, hit the gym, clean the room, talk about problems, and generally - live a better life.

It's been a learning-summer. Sometimes fun, other times incredible, always eye-opening, filled with Beethoven, often times painful, emotionally saturating, and otherwise exhausting.

It's time to go home.