My arrival and first moments in Italy were a bit bittersweet. I was extremely excited to be in Italy for the firs time, wanting to head to Sorrento, to meet the other people on my trip, and to take in as much of Sorrento I could in the first day. When first landing in Naples, to the passengers and my dismay, it was pouring down rain. Only moments later, after going to baggage claim, I realized that my luggage had not taken the same journey that I just did. Of course, as the famous phrase goes, nothing could “rain on my parade”.

We continued on to Sorrento and even through the rain, I could tell that this place was extraordinarily beautiful. I was incredibly excited to call this place my home for the next four and a half months. My roommate Katelyn and I arrived at our apartment after dropping off a few other girls and Monica, our other roommate, greeted us. Monica, who is from a neighboring town, is Italian, but speaks good English and is working at the school we are attending. Monica is very sweet, and shortly after welcoming us went out to get our other roommate, Caitlin. Caitlin is an Australian post grad who is staying with us for two weeks, on “holiday”, for one class at Sant’Anna. I could tell from the start that my roommates were great people, and I am very sad that Caitlin is leaving us after only a short time.

On the first day of orientation Caitlin, Katelyn, and I (yes, they have the same name and it can be incredibly confusing) walked to school together and actually got lost. Usually, getting lost has a negative connotation, but when you get lost and end up on the beach, it makes you want to get lost more often. The first day was filled with amazing food, wine, and awesomely unique people. Also, thankfully, a few days later, I received my luggage. This made being here much more comfortable.

Just being in Sorrento for a couple of days, I can tell that this place has so much character and hidden beauty. The coast is where I feel most at home, so, I am incredibly happy with my choice of studying abroad here. Every part of this small town has so much charm and I am learning more about it everyday.

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Brooke is a current student at University of South Carolina studying at Sant’Anna Institute in Italy during the Spring 2015 term.