Some Salient Self-Reflection

Dear self, while I know that you normally hate cliches, I think in saying studying abroad has changed my life for the better, would perfectly sum up my time here! In the last two months I have learned so much about the culture of Florence, and how to properly navigate the world as an international…

Note to Self

It’s hard to explain how time progresses when you’re abroad. I feel like I’ve lived 3 full lives and simultaneously feel like I only arrived here last week. It’s crazy to me that its already time to reflect on the person that I was when I arrived here over two months ago. A version of…

Experiencing the Down Under

When I was initially accepted into the program, I was surprisingly not as excited as I wish I would have been. I knew study abroad was going to be an incredible experience, but this feeling of hopefulness was something that had been taken away from me in the past. I remember as a freshman how…

Shaping A Cultural Identity

Having the opportunity to come abroad meant being exposed to new cultures and people, which meant learning new habits and ways of life that were unfamiliar from what I was used to. I knew that working and living abroad would be an amazing learning experience, but I also expected challenges to arise from this unfamiliar…

Fear of the Unknown

I think everyone has a little bit of fear surrounding the unknown and what “could be”. Coming into my international internship and this global experience as a whole, this fear is exactly what plagued my thoughts. I didn’t know anyone on my program except for one person, and I had no prior knowledge of the…

My Skills Abroad

As my semester has progressed, my soft skills have gained a whole lot of attention. The soft skill that I feel has been most worked on that maybe had not of been as focused on had I not been abroad, was teamwork. Although when I say teamwork, I mean beyond just the classroom. For me,…

Skills of Studying Abroad

When I first landed in Europe, I said “I can’t believe I’ll be here for months.” Although “months” sounds like a long time, in reality I am in Italy for 100 days. As I reach the 50 day mark, it is amazing to look back on the competencies that studying and living in Florence that…

Planning to Adapt

Adaptability has become the name of the game while studying abroad. Even with all the planning in the world, things are bound to go wrong, and you have to be willing to go with the flow of the situation. As someone who treats making an itinerary like a hobby, this has proven to be a…