If you were to ask me a year ago if study abroad was in future I would have corrected you immediately.  I am the type of person who plans out their life years in advance and it is very comforting to me to have an idea of what to prepare for. I am a second semester senior studying fashion design, my home school is Western Michigan University.  As a part of the fashion design curriculum we need to obtain 18 credits from FIT in New York, or study abroad. From the time I learned this I had my heart set on attending FIT and refused to consider the alternative. Life of course had other plans for me, I was put on the waiting list and later denied acceptance to the program. I was left with the option of study abroad and I had to plan fast. Normally I would jump at the opportunity to live in Italy for 4 months, but to me it felt like a defeat. I spent the next very short 6 months dreading my flight to Florence. Deep down I knew how spectacular this opportunity was, but there were so many mixed emotions behind this trip. My biggest challenge was adjusting to the change in my “plans” for my life.

As I was sitting on the plane waiting for my transatlantic flight to take off, a rush of reality hit me. I am spending my last semester of college in Italy, it seemed more like a vacation than school. I spent so much time dreading this trip, that I never considered how much of a blessing it was. These feelings were very short lived, when I had arrived I was terrified, lonely, and just wanted to count down the days until  I could finally go home. This went on for several weeks, looking back now I really wish I would have enjoyed myself. It was only just a couple of weeks ago that I started to feel at peace with my time here. On a trip to Verona we hiked up to the Castel San Pietro, where there was a magnificent view of the city. Sitting up there I finally realized how impactful this trip is, I am learning so much about the world, and myself. Many people like my parents live their whole lives in the same place, and im sitting here at 21 years old with the world ahead of me.

After my realization in Verona,  I began to grasp how little time I have left.  I have just over 6 weeks left in Florence. I am facing the same challenges as a study abroad student, on top of the challenges of a second semester senior. What I thought would be the perfect “Vacation” to wrap up my undergrad career has turned out to be a pretty big challenge for me. I had to make a  choice, I couldn’t dwell on my fears of the future.  I am a woman in the prime of my life and I am living in Italy!!  All the more reason to take advantage of every single day. I plan to fill all of my free time with museum trips, lots of pasta, friends, and very late nights with a bottle or two of wine. Everything waiting for me at home will still be there after I finish my pasta.

Before this past year I lived my life constantly planning for my future. I did everything you were suppose to, I wanted to be prepared for all life could throw at me. I was so focused on the future that I didn’t make a life for myself in the present. I have learned the importance of living my life in the now, adapting to change, and living life to the fullest. I now understand that planning for all of the twists and turns in life is impossible. My time in Florence has been so life changing, the Italians take time to celebrate life. There is a lot more to life here than work or responsibility, an appetite for life takes a higher priority. I will forever keep my time in Italy close to my heart and never forget the lessons I’ve learned about living during my time here.

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Sarah is a current student at Western Michigan University studying at Florence University of the Arts (FUA) in Florence, Italy during the Spring 2015 term.