Formative: capable of giving form. As a last-semester senior, it is easy to see why we tend to have so many mixed emotions. We are scared of the future, and simultaneously excited. We are not ready to say goodbye, but also ready to graduate and start the rest of our lives. It is hard to…

“Studying abroad changed my life.” This quote may be one of the most stereotypical expressions of students who come home after studying abroad, yet it is impossible to deny that studying abroad changes a person’s life. I intentionally planned this semester abroad. All the details of my life (which so far had been a “typical”…

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…

Perhaps the act of escapism is actually a certain method of confrontation. When I first decided to defer my graduation to study abroad, my family and friends told me how it is a form of escapism. I myself hold that view too; objectively, going abroad is a method of escaping reality. However, I have learned…