Dear past me, you are about to embark on the experience of a lifetime, and although it seems a little daunting right now, you will be so grateful you decided to embrace this experience. This experience will help you grow so much in so many ways, and will make you rethink how you organize your time and spend your days.
For one, I have always been very focused on school and making sure it is a priority, but sometimes did not prioritize other things that are equally as important. Being in Florence has made me readjust my time management to ensure that while school work is still being done to the best of my ability, there is also time to experience museums, and new cafes, and spending time with friends having experiences we will never forget in such a beautiful city. I have really leaned into having a more whole experience here, whereas at school, I will sometimes sacrifice other things that make me happy if I am overly stressed about school or need to dedicate more time to it. This experience has allowed me to create a time management schedule that not only aligns with my school work, but also what makes me feel whole as a person and things that make me happy.
Additionally, I have grown to be more adaptable and relaxed in situations that may have stressed me out before, such as delayed travel or unexpected obstacles. Since so much of being abroad is navigating situations you have not been in before, learning how to overcome these obstacles is crucial to your success and happiness traveling and studying abroad. I think I have grown to have a much more “go with the flow” attitude that I may not have had without this experience, and for that I am very grateful.
What I wish I had known at the beginning of the program is that things do get more comfortable and it doesn’t feel like you are lost the whole time. When I first arrived in Florence it felt like a huge city where everthing was new to me and that was very overwhelming. Even going to the grocery store for the first time brough its own challenges and I wondered when things would feel “normal” here. I did eventually fall into a routine of a new “normal”, and although it was different than I was used to, it was even better than I could have expected. I also fell out of the practice of comparing things to home, which I think in hindsight made me more homesick, and now although I miss home, I do not long to be back, and I am going to be very sad when I have to leave here. I think once I realized that my routine would be different here, it really changed my perspective and feelings, and allowed me to embrace my experience here, and I wish I was able to make that change in mindset sooner.
What surprised me most about my global experience is everything I was able to do and see! I came in having a very loose idea of the places I would want to travel and the experiences I would want to have, and in the end I have visited 5 cities in Italy and visited 4 new countries, all in the span of 3 months! To have the privilege to have all these experiences and visit all these new places was something more than I could have ever imagined and makes me so grateful to have had such an experience. I have heard of past study abroad students doing a trip every weekend, which seems unbelievable before you leave, but was what we ended up doing at the moment and I wouldn’t trade it for the world!
Overall, I am so incredibly thankful to have had this experience, and truly believe it has changed me for the better. I think the girl 4 months ago would be so excited to know about all the experiences I have had and the way I have truly embraced this opportunity.