My last full month here in Italy went by so quickly, but I experienced so many wonderful things along the way that I can’t complain! It is crazy to think that I will be home next month, so I am trying to enjoy every bit of the time I have left in Florence.
November started out with a relaxing shift back into the second half of the semester, and this was further increased by the lovely trip to Spa Antica Querciolaia that our SAI program organized for us.
Soon though, end-of-the-semester essays and projects were assigned, but I thankfully succeeded in getting a lot them done early. Registering for classes for the spring semester was another exciting element of this month, but my favorite experience was by far my trip to Pompeii! My “Daily Life in Pompeii” class and I had an amazing time traveling to the historic cities of both Herculaneum and Pompeii, with our evenings spend in delightful Sorrento. I have wanted to go to Pompeii since middle school, and finally seeing the history of that location in person was so incredible for me. I took a lot of pictures, but they can never fully capture the happiness I felt as I walked the streets of a city that I had learned so much about for years.
I, a life-long picky eater, also tried a lot of new foods in Sorrento, which will surely make my parents proud! To wrap up our trip, my class and I also went to the National Archeological Museum in Naples, which was a wonderful and fascinating experience.
Even with my diligent schoolwork, I of course still had time to do everything on my list of “Things to Do Before I Leave Florence.” This list included climbing to the top of the Duomo, returning to the Uffizi Gallery and Palazzo Pitti to fully appreciate all of the art there, riding the carousel in Piazza della Republica, and having dinner at a restaurant composed of foods I have gained newfound appreciation for.
This month ends with a trip to Germany and Austria for the weekend, which I am very excited for, and then it’s only two weeks until I’m back in Wisconsin, enjoying the snow instead of the Italian rain!
During my time here, I truly feel that I have seen the city as many have not seen it, and have found out more about myself than I ever would’ve imagined. This experience has been everything I could have hoped for, and being in Italy has not only been an incredibly fun journey, but has also been so helpful to me as I continually strive to strengthen myself as a person. It will be good to go home, but the memories of these months will stay with me forever as I continue my schooling and start new chapters in my life. Being here has taught me so much, both about myself and about the country that I called home this semester. I am so thankful for being able to have this opportunity, and although this trip has given me so much, the most important thing I gained here was pride in myself for being able to adapt to such huge changes and learn to love them.
– Gretchen, Carroll University
