Wow. It has been ninety days in Europe. I head back home tomorrow.

Florence may have been my home base, but I made friends and memories all over. I was lucky enough to experience Denmark, France, Spain, Switzerland, Greece, and Italy. I can’t even begin to describe how thankful I am for the perspectives and knowledge I have gained from traveling these past three months.

I would first like to spotlight my Italian professor, Jenny. She created an unforgettable learning environment that combined fun and learning amazingly. My favorite thing about her was that she made it a priority to learn everyone’s name. She ended each class with an Italian song and did her best to invite us into the real local Florentine culture.

Next, I want to talk about how the internet made my amazing experience here possible. I started vlogging each day abroad on my TikTok account. This created an online community that I have never experienced before. Random study-abroad students who were strangers to me asked to make plans and I always said yes! Some of these people turned out to be my new best friends. The TikTok vlogs even allowed me to collaborate with brands such as the Locket and Rex App as a paid social media influencer. I am so thankful that I started these TikTok vlogs because it has led me to create some amazing memories.

When I go home, I want to try recreating my lifestyle from living in Florence. I want to incorporate walking and unprocessed foods more into my daily life. I want to be open to meeting new people and going on impulsive last-minute adventures! And I want to go after every professional opportunity I see, especially in the social media marketing industry.

I am not going to lie, I am exhausted from studying abroad and am ready to go home. I am looking forward to going home. I miss Texas Roadhouse and Chipotle. But I know that within five days of being home, I am going to reflect on my study abroad experience and wish I stayed in Florence forever.

Would I recommend studying abroad to other students at Pitt Business? Of course. It is such a life-changing experience where you mature and learn so much. If you are given the opportunity to study abroad, you have to take it. Not only will you have fun, but your international experience will also help you immensely in your future career.

After visiting Paris a few weeks ago, I decided to continue my French language studies from high school and added it as a minor in my curriculum at the University of Pittsburgh. I hope my career brings me back to Europe, and I am excited to see where my new international perspective on the world will lead me.