Everything happens for a reason, whether you understand why or not. Sometimes what you plan for doesn’t turn out the way you expect. In the past year everyone’s plans got interrupted. However, some of those instances turned out to be good. Throughout my sophomore year of high school I was going through the process of applying for study abroad during my first semester of junior year in Cork, Ireland. When the pandemic hit there were months of wondering if that was still going to happen. Those first few months were filled with uncertainty that anything would be happening the way we wanted it to. I was walking out of work when I received the email. Unfortunately, I was unable to study in Cork, Ireland, but with that came some more options.

Instead of Cork I was given the choices of going to either Greece or Italy. With friends going to Florence already that was my first choice, but I was hesitant to take that step. Italy had been one of the worst places with the coronavirus and I was fearful for what that meant going into it. I was contemplating going back to the Endicott campus and delaying my abroad experience or taking a once in a lifetime trip. After many discussions with my family I decided that I wouldn’t get an opportunity like this again and didn’t know what the future would hold. The next week consisted of a bunch of paperwork and applications for a visa, trying to get it in on time. Although I was very nervous in the months before the trip, I was excited to experience something new and learn about a new culture.

The day we left was filled with excitement and nervousness. We met at the airport in Boston and boarded our first flight that was about 6 hours long. I had never been on a flight for that long so the new experiences were already starting. The time was spent watching movies, taking mini naps and eating food that was surprisingly delicious. Having a window seat, I was able to witness first hand the setting of the sun which turned the sky into a cotton candy dream. The flight then landed in Paris where we had a layover for a few hours. Unfortunately, the airport was all we saw of that beautiful city. From there we hopped onto our second flight that took about 2 hours that landed us right in Florence. Deliriously tired, we took cars to our apartments. After a brief meeting, we headed to our rooms, mine being on the top floor. Looking out the windows overlooking the Arlo river took my breath away. I was never going to get tired of that view. Thus, we started our 2 week quarantine.

My friends and I tried to make the most out of quarantine. The good thing about quarantine was that it helped with the jet lag. It was never hard to find things to talk about as we were apart for so many months. The culinary students at the school we were attending made us packaged meals that were delicious. My friends and I mostly watched movies, so that we got them out of the way for later in the trip, and found random games we found online. One of my personal favorite things we did was “powerpoint nights” where we each created a powerpoint on a random topic and presented it to everyone. Finally, the day we were allowed leave came. We were able to leave the apartment building and explore a little bit of Florence before we left for a week of traveling. Seeing the city for the first time was magical. After a little exploring and some food we headed back to attend a meeting and get ready for the next part of our Italy experience.

For the first week of classes we took a week long course that had us mostly traveling around Tuscany. First, we went to Rome for two days. Seeing the iconic structures of Rome brought a feeling I have never before experienced. I had only seen these structures in books or movies and suddenly they were in front of me. One significant moment was when we arrived at the Trevi fountain. For the past few hours of walking around it had been pouring rain, but as we approached and turned the corner to see it the sun came out and shone bright making the fountain look so special. After Rome we started up the coast of Tuscany. We were able to see countless forms of unique art, taste so much food and wine, as well as visit gorgeous beaches. The different landscapes throughout the journey made it seem like we were in another world. We were not only going through busy cities, but along the way we saw mountains and the oceanside. Being able to see them all really opened my eyes more and allowed me to see it for more than what the country is known for. Throughout that whole week I was able to see, learn, and experience the different sides of Italian culture. I feel as though we really got to experience the authentic side of traveling because we were constantly interacting with new people.

After travel week we went right into our classes. I took a mixture of classes that pertained to my major and some that were meant to be more fun and new. For my graphic design minor I took a shorter 3 week course that has us making our own personal logo. I really enjoyed doing that because it had me exploring my own taste and allowing me to give myself a signature symbol. For my communications major I took a class called Social Media. This class was really interesting to me because it gave an insight on what I want to do in the future in social media management. We got the chance to post for the school instagram account as well as create content calendars for various topics. I also took an Italian class so that I could learn the language that I was suddenly surrounded by. It was a little hard to get used to especially since I took French in high school, but I feel as though I eventually got the hang of it. Lastly, I took a class all about the history and making of chocolate. This class was very interesting, especially when we went to taste and cook with it. All the classes we took in Florence gave me a look into different sides of the Italian culture that I didn’t know.

Florence was an amazing city to explore as there was so much history. Just walking to class was amazing as we were able to see the duomo and the Church of Santa Croce just about every day. Throughout our time in Italy we also took some weekend trips around the country as we weren’t allowed to travel to other countries. Our first trip was to Verona. We visited the Tomba di Giulietta and Juliet’s balcony. The whole city was beautiful and gave us a glimpse into the lives of Romeo and Juliet. For our next destination we choose Venice. This was my personal favorite out of all the destinations we visited. I truly never saw anything like this place with its narrow roads and flowing waterways. Riding on a gondola through the city while someone is singing to you is a movie scene that came to life for us. Everything about this city was completely magical and unique. On a day trip we went to Cinque Terre and took an extremely long hike. The walk took over 3 hours and we took about 2,000 steps. While the views were breathtaking, I was exhausted by the time we were finished.

Unfortunately our time in Italy was cut a little short about a month early. As Florence entered into a red zone and most places were closing, we thought it was best to end things on a good note. My time in Italy is something that I will always cherish. It wouldn’t have happened if I didn't decide to put my nerves aside and take a chance. It still blows my mind that I was able to do this especially during a global pandemic. I learned so much about this beautiful culture and I hope to visit again in the future.