I think one of the coolest parts of this program is recognizing the skills I’ve developed throughout this program. While I don’t feel I’ve developed any hard skills, I have learned a lot through the academic program and through traveling.

When traveling every weekend, I never would have considered how much work goes into each week. From traveling itself I learned the importance of planning ahead, staying calm when things go as unplanned, becoming detail oriented especially in situations relative to transportation, the importance of communication, and independence. I think a good example of this was when I was coming back to Florence from Barcelona a few weeks ago. While booking, I noticed a notable difference in prices if I left from a different airport other than one located in Barcelona, and on the map it didn’t seem that far away. With little preparation, I learned that airport was actually three hours away, and I had very little time to arrive to the only bus that would make it on time. With a lot of stress, I barely made it to the bus, but the bus only took cash, which I did not have. Thankfully, the bus driver felt bad for me and allowed me to use an ATM to pay after the ride, but with more preparation this would not have happened.

I think it’s been really interesting conversing with other study abroad students, especially those studying in other countries. Not only do they have completely different experiences to share, but their recommendations are going to very different than those in my program. For instance, I visited Nice, France because a student studying in Paris, who I met in Prague, recommended me to see. I think it’s also very interesting hearing about the different classes others are taking, as I am mainly taking business classes pertaining to my major.