In the last few days of the abroad semester, I look around Florence feeling grateful, excited, and sad at the same time. A bittersweet goodbye to a wonderful city and community, I reflect on all the ways I have changed since coming January 8th. It is safe to say, studying abroad was one of the…

A letter to my pre-departure self,  Megan! You are about to travel to Florence for a semester abroad, and there is a lot coming! First of all, your visa DOES come in time. Please remember to put a stamp on the return envelope, as it will avoid a lot of trouble. Get ready for a…

The amount of growth that can happen in the few months abroad is hard to put into words. There is a vast amount of soft skills I have gained, adaptability, problem solving, heightened awareness of my surroundings, and travel skills in general.  This list is not exhaustive, but some of the ones that come to…

Hello Again! It is currently Midterms here in Florence. This week I am writing about adaptability and problem-solving while studying abroad in a new culture. Our cultural context impacts our view of ourselves. Self-awareness, self-appraisal, self-consciousness, self-assessment, and self-esteem are all important to people and impacted by culture. In adjusting to Italy, there were a…

Hi again! This week I am going to speak on my experience so far in my abroad course load. My classes are Italian, Sculpture, International Marketing, International Finance, and Cross Cultural Psychology. I am surprised by how intertwined the topics have been, which has deepened my knowledge of various subject material. For example, I learned…

Hello from Florence !  I am Megan, a junior studying Finance and Marketing here at the University of Pittsburgh. I grew up outside of the vibrant city of Boston. I lead an active lifestyle and find joy in new experiences. My enthusiasm for the unknown played a significant role in my decision to study abroad….