There are days that I wake up wishing to be back in Florence eating margherita pizza, pesto pasta, gelato, and Nutella croissants. It is not only the food that I miss, but also the ambiance of the city–the old architecture that dates back to the 13th century, the history, and hearing the beautiful Italian language. The culture was something I found very easy to immerse myself into while I was there.
I learned a lot about myself on this study abroad trip. One thing I was worried about before the trip was how I would handle being away from home. I had never been away from home for more than two weeks at a time, so living on my own in a different country for six weeks was a bit daunting at first. However, I found it to be a lot easier than I thought it would be. Sure, I had times of home-sickness in the first week or so, but there is so much to see and do, that I practically had no time to think about what I missed from back home. I missed the people from back home for sure, that is, ,y parents, siblings, my dog, and my boyfriend, but I certainly could get used to living in the European lifestyle. I could see myself living in Europe without a doubt. Traveling has always been one my my dreams, and I now know that I am completely capable of going away for a long period of time.
My career in Global Business will require traveling around the world for various reasons. I now feel more well-rounded and open-minded as to how different parts of the world differ in culture and traditions. Global awareness and consideration is especially important in my career, as I will be working with people of all different backgrounds.
I also overcame my fear of flying. As silly as this sounds, I have had a lot of anxiety on planes in the past, and I was worried that I would freak out on the nine-hour flight. It turned out to be a very smooth flight with some wonderful plane food. I devoured that lasagna.
I am now especially inspired to continue traveling and getting to know different parts of the world. I am planning on working a lot the rest of this summer and in the Fall to save up some money and plan my next trip!
USF Going Places Blog 