Florence, Italy Study Abroad

1. For my STEP signature project, I studied in Florence, Italy for a semester. While in Italy I had the opportunity to learn more about Italian culture and immerse myself in their everyday lives.
2. While studying abroad I learned and discovered many things about myself. Before going abroad, I already thought of myself as an independent person but going abroad made me even more independent. I started going out of my comfort zone and doing things I wouldn’t normally do back in the states. What made me step out of my comfort zone was the fact that I was studying abroad which is an experience not many people get to have. Being able to live across the world for an entire semester and travel to other countries is something that not many people can experience.

3. While in Florence I started going out on my own and just exploring the city I was living in and what it had to offer. Being in a different country for a whole semester is different than being at college in the sense that you aren’t surrounded by people who speak the same language. I had to be more aware of my surroundings and where I was going when I left my apartment. While in Florence I attended a school called Accademia Italiana which is a fashion and arts school. Many of the students at this school were born and raised in Italy. Being able to interact with them during classes help me become more comfortable in the new city. They would give me recommendations of places to go that aren’t as well known to people who don’t live there.

During my time abroad I traveled to a different place almost every weekend. I traveled to many different places in Italy and also to different countries. When in these places I not only recognized how different life in that specific country was to America but also how much European countries can differ even though they’re so close to each other. In each city I visited they was also a lot of pride for the people who grew up and lived in that city. It made me miss my home back in America but also be grateful that I had the opportunity to experience many different cultures.

When I started planning that I wanted to go abroad I knew that I was only going to know a couple people in Florence. I know longer had my huge friend group around at all times like I do at school and at home. This caused me to have to step out of my comfort zone and make new friends that would end up becoming my best friends. Making these friends abroad was comforting because we were going through the same things while living in a new country and a different lifestyle. We talked about how we missed home but also never wanted to leave the city that we’d fallen in love with.

4. This transformation was significant in my life because it allowed me to grow and mature as a person and prepare me for life after college. As I approach my senior year I’m faced with the reality that in a year I’ll no longer have college to look forward to once summer ends. I have to be a real person and adult. Being abroad has prepared me for whatever life throws at me after college. I now feel comfortable living in a new city and finding my way around without being scared. I’ve always wanted to travel and being abroad allowed me to do as much traveling in a semester as people get down in their whole lives.