Time to go back :( I am very sad that this semester has come to its end. Studying abroad has been one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I cannot express how much I have enjoyed this semester abroad, I truly recommend every university student to do the same. The experience is something that goes beyond words, it is something that has taught me a lot and that has also showed me that there is much more to see and to learn. The world is just so big, and it has been magical to have been able to experience different countries in this experience. I have also made true friends, that even though I am very sad to separate from them, I am certain that I will reunite with them in the near future. Now it is time to head home. I will miss my Italian class, and hearing everyone around me talk Italian. It will for sure be weird to come back home and be able to understand 100% what people are saying around me. I will not be surprised to find myself talking Italian to Americans out of habit as well as refereeing to the dollar as “a euro.”

This last month I did more and more travel, without any doubt the more you travel the more you want to explore.  I also put a lot of hours in for my final school projects as well as for my finals. In all of my classes I had finals, and therefore I stayed in Rome for the last 2 weeks. This last weekend I did visit the place I always saw in Pinterest thinking “that place is gorgeous, and I want to go there” well I did go to Cinque Terre Italy. Friday night we had a very nice dinner with the SAI group, which eventually turned into a dancing floor-J it was a great night. It was very sad to leave Rome, but by no means will this be the last time I am there! But please everyone, please study abroad. I went through some many things while abroad, moments of tough homesickness, but like my study abroad advisor would tell us before departing to Rome “I guarantee you that you will not want to come back” and that is so true right now. But all things have to come to an end and now it is someone else’s turn to live up this wonderful life by exploring other areas that will give them a whole different perspective of the world we live in. For me it was life-changing and the best experience of my life!!! Thank you to my school St Norbert for motivating me to study abroad, and Thank you SAI for making this semester abroad an unforgettable one.

– Cristina, St. Norbert College