Well, I did it. Thirty days of walking, hostels, buses, planes, trains, boats, bikes, taxis, subways, hiking, ATMs, processed carbohydrates, dirty clothes, constant packing and unpacking, street dogs, snoring, dancing, really great restaurants, argentine boyfriends, and an overall awesome experience.

And now I need a REAL vacation. I fly home today and, man, am I tired.

I’ve grown so much this last month, and I’m talking about just my eyebrows.

I’ve made significant strides in overcoming my fear of public transportation–particularly busses. I’ve learned the majority of Spanish swear words and their respective levels of vulgarity. And although I really didn’t improve my ability to convert numbers to the metric system, I did end up memorizing the number on my passport! (How many Americans can say they know that?!)

I also feel I’ve learned a lot of the Dos and Donts of traveling. I kind of just jumped into the deep-end of traveling alone without being quite sure how to swim, and I swallowed a lot of water in the process. I could have done this trip a lot more efficiently with what I know now, but I try not to be too hard on myself. It was my first time in the water.

I also got really use to being uncomfortable, whether it was sketchy bathrooms, dirty clothes, or bumpy bus rides. Things that were once disgusting, such as one thin piece of cotton between you and a mattress with unidentifiable stains, are still disgusting, but ive gotten pretty good at just not thinking about it.

But I feel that perhaps maybe my greatest growth has been socially. Never before have I been so proactive about introducing myself and trying to make friends. I gained a new appreciation for good company, and I recognized it was a huge part of successfully traveling alone.

So when my parents came to pick me up at the airport, I askedan applause and took a bow. I just completed a masterful performance that no other Badger could. Everytime they told me I was crazy for doing this before I left made me want to do it even more. I really felt like I HAD to do this. Maybe it’s because people in my family work for Google, are doctors, go to Harvard, or get full-ride D1 football scholarships. Or maybe it’s because 90% of my friends are married or have serious boyfriends they’ll likely marry, and I didn’t even really have a friend to ask to join me even if I wanted to. Maybe it’s because I’ve been unemployed for 6 months and I don’t know what to do with myself. For whatever reason, I needed to do this.

It was either that or get a tattoo…

Well, thanks for following my little adventure. Again, what I was doing is nothing compared to every other traveler I met. But as nothing as it was, it was something to me. I feel really good having done this on my own. I will have a few follow-up posts on my blog, and after that good’ole fashion datejenny.com will be back in full stride. I’m still just as single as ever.

Anyway, now I have to go do the two things you least look forward to doing after you return from a trip–check my bank statement and try on my clothes. Both are going to be pretty tight.