March has rolled around and is quickly coming to an end. The time seems to be disappearing before my eyes. With March came spring break. During Spring Break, I finally had the time where I was able to visit two of my very best friends. One friend is in Paris and the other is in Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany. I was astounded how easy it was to find affordable flights, buses and trains around Europe but with cheap travel comes long hours and lots of different forms of transportation.
I arrived in Paris the first Thursday night of my Spring Break. Early the next morning we were off to sight-seeing. We were able to see all the main attractions in the four days I was there. My friend’s apartment in Paris made me very much appreciate the apartment SAI set me up with. Her apartment was a tiny 2 bedroom for three people where you could not ever be alone. Paris had a lot of beauty and I loved seeing my friends but it was not easy getting around the city since it is so large. Being in Paris made me miss Florence and Italy in general. As I was flying back to Italy from Paris there was an Italian man and his wife sitting next to me. The man started screaming “Che Bello, Bellissimo!” and motioned for me to look out the window. There was a very bright bottom half of a rainbow over the runway. This moment made me realize how much I love the Italians passion for life and missed it when I was in Paris. The attitudes of many people I have found in Italy are unparalleled anywhere I have traveled.
The Wednesday of Spring break, after relaxing in Florence, I was off to Villingen-Schwenningen Germany to see my best friend that has moved there from Florida for University. As I walked out of the airport it began to snow very hard and I had never seen so much snow coming from the sky being as I am from Florida. As it fell, I began to uncontrollably laugh and my friend took a picture of me. Moments like that are unforgettable. I spent the five days I was there catching up with Marvin. We walked the streets of many little villages and visited Frankfurt. The people in Germany are so organized. Everything in Germany worked so well. I enjoyed my time getting to know many Germans while I was there. I admired their way of life in which daily life was filled with well-planned recycling programs, highways in which driving went smooth and unparalleled social programs. I could not have asked for more out of Spring Break and the month of March than seeing two new countries and two good friends.
– Michaela, University of South Carolina
