Two months sounds like a long time. It can also feel like a long time; for example when you can’t sleep on the plane ride or when your allergy medication runs out. But two months can also feel incredibly short; like when one month into the program, half of the friends you’ve made go home because their study abroad course ended. Or alternatively, when you’re entering your last week of work and realize that it’s now or never for all those goals, projects and tasks you wanted to accomplish when you started the program.

Going into this program, I knew that good experiences tend to go by faster than I like them to. There’s not much I can do about that, but I do have the ability to take initiative and ensure I’m making the most of my time. I haven’t always done that; my spring semester freshman year at Pitt I spent more time watching Netflix than going out, exploring the city and making new friendships. My winter break this past year consisted of more relaxing in my room than catching up with my high school friends. Learning from these experiences and others, I felt determined to make the most of the eight weeks I have here in Portugal. And although I haven’t been perfect, I’m proud to say that I have done quite a lot in the time I’ve been here.

My first day in the office at work, my boss and I agreed on a three-page list of the projects and assignments I would work on during my time here. It was a long, intimidating list; I didn’t know what half the terms on it meant, and I didn’t know if I would be able to complete it all in just two months (actually less than two months, because Lisbon has SO MANY holidays in the summer months). But I locked in; I wrote out my tasks for each day, asked coworkers for help when I needed it, and always stayed open to new opportunities. I wrote a 12 page research paper on a new EU regulation, spent dozens of hours reading about the European economy, attended multiple meetings (and written briefs on them), etc. I haven’t been perfect, there have been days where I’ve felt slow and didn’t get much done; days when I’ve showed up late or left early; days when I waited for my boss to tell me what to do instead of taking initiative for myself. But overall, I’ve gotten quite a lot done, and with one week left, I think I will be able to complete all the projects I initially set out to accomplish.

Aside from work, I also tried to experience as much of the beautiful scenery, architecture and culture of Portugal as possible. You can imagine how this could be difficult considering I’ve been working 5 days a week, but I’ve managed to find a pretty good balance. One weekend, my friends and I went to a town on the Portuguese coast called Setubal, took an old sail boat into the beautiful, glimmering Atlantic, and jumped in. The next weekend we went to Ribateijo, where we bird watched, rode horses, fed goats, and enjoyed a beautiful overlook of the expansive landscape. A week later, my friends and I took a four hour bus ride to Porto, where we listened to a live Fado performance, watched the sunset from the highest point in the city, toured a castle, and ate as much food as humanly possible. We didn’t stop there. Two weekends ago I took a bus overnight to Seville, where I spent the weekend touring astonishing buildings like the Real Alcazar and the Cathedral, eating countless tapas, and trying to get sleep whenever possible. This weekend a large group of us went to Coimbra to tour one of the oldest universities in all of Europe, and then we went to Obidos to participate in a medieval fair! And I didn’t just travel on the weekends; most weekdays consisted of short metro rides to explore Baixa Chado, Terreiro do Paco, Rato, or other places throughout Lisbon. I tried many restaurants, cafes, bakeries and gelato shops along the way. While I didn’t get to see all the places I wanted to, I did get to see far more than I thought I would.

My experiences here in Portugal have taught me to take control over my time. It reminded me not to let the fun, wonderful, adventurous moments pass me by. It reminded me that if I want to make the most of my time, I must take that initiative myself. I hope to take this with me as I return to the University of Pittsburgh for my Junior year.