Ciao! As I begin the last month of my semester abroad and the program draws to an end, I would like to write a letter to my pre-departure self:

Nicola,

Even though you are feeling uncertain with how your semester abroad will go, it will be the best four months of your life thus far. You will be extremely surprised what countries you ended up traveling to, all because of your random roommates. As you thought you might visit England and France and Spain, you will have a blast in Turkey, Egypt, and Norway to name a few. You will also be very fortunate to try new things that not many people can say they did. From skiing and paragliding for the first time in the Swiss Alps to riding a camel by the Pyramids of Giza to snowmobiling on the border of Finland on a snowy day, you should be very grateful for this opportunity.

Although you may lose your study habits you had back at Pitt, you have gained plenty new skills that will be valuable in becoming a confident young man who will soon be living on his own in Pittsburgh. First, you will become a master at travel. Going somewhere new every weekend, you will learn how to easily make it from your apartment in Florence to your hotel in any given country. You will learn how to use the train, find the best plane tickets, order a taxi, reserve a hotel/air bnb, etc. In addition, you will gain plenty of experience planning weekends trips that satisfy all your travel partners. Strengthening your time management, you will learn how to optimize a weekend and make the most of the time you have, hitting all the must-dos and not regretting anything you did as it’s all apart of the experience. Second, you will experience what it is like to be artistic again, instead of just focusing on business courses. Even though in America everyone is worried about working hard and earning money, it is important to also enjoy life and all it has to offer. Through sculpting and museology, you will learn to appreciate art and obtain a different perspective on museums and the beauty of nature. Because of this, you will mature a lot and want to see everything the world has to offer later in life.

You should know, though, that you will be spending a good amount of money. I know you don’t like spending your money, but make the most of everything. There will probably not be another time when you have the opportunity to see the Northern Lights in the Artic circle and five days later see one of the seven wonders of the world in the Sahara Desert on a camel. So, do not get anxious about your spending, and try to do as much as you can while also staying reasonable. You cannot make back memories and time, but you can make back money.

Ciao!