As I finish up my final days in Florence, I am so grateful for the experience. Throughout the past 4 months, I have gotten to know and love the city of Florence. From the food, learning about the history, and meeting the people, I am so happy I’ve had the opportunity to live here. There was much anticipation and unknown for me before coming here, but now that I’m leaving, I’ve been able to create friendships and memories I would have never expected.
Personally, I have been able to grow and understand myself better. Living with 5 other girls, we have learned to live, communicate with each other, and travel the world together. Prior to coming here, I was a very extroverted person, but during my time here, I find myself enjoying my own company and learning to enjoy the still and quiet. While abroad, I have been able to adjust the way in which I live and study. Back at home, I am typically organized and I have a lot of things, but being abroad has taught me how to live more minimally when it comes to my every day necessities.
Academically, I have been able to have more meaningful class discussions and group projects since our class sizes are much smaller than what I am used to. This allows me to have more opportunities to get close to my peers as well as my professors. I really enjoyed the classes I’ve taken here since some of them (Finance and Consulting) are more related to my major while others, (Art Renaissance History and Italian) have allowed me to learn more about the place, people and history of Florence.
Professionally, I’ve seen myself grow when it comes to interacting with business professionals particularly in my consulting class. I have improved my communication and collaboration skills, and learned what it is like to cater to a client and fulfill their needs. Studying abroad in Florence has helped me develop soft skills like adaptability, communication, and independence by pushing me to navigate new people, cultures, and everyday challenges on my own.
These 4 months in Florence have flown by but have been some of the best experiences and memories I’ve made. Being here has not only taught me so much about Italy, but I have grown as an individual in numerous ways. I am so thankful for this abroad opportunity and the new friendships I have made here. I can’t wait to come back and visit one day. Farewell Florence!
