My first day here was a bit stressful. My financial aid hadn’t gone through and we were having troubles with our internet. I needed to contact my family back in Kentucky to borrow money for the permit to stay fee. My student cell didn’t work for my iphone so I could not call. I walked around trying to find an internet cafe but to no avail. I went back to our apartment with a sense of profound defeat. The feeling of being in a different country with no way to contact home and no money was a feeling I cannot even describe. Eventually I asked to use my roommates student cell and everything got worked out.

After this initial mishap, life here has been amazing. I have already realized so many things that I could have never back home. My life is already changed. I know that sounds cliche but it really is true. I will remember this for the rest of my life and it will constantly remind me that things can always get better. The possibilities are truly endless and I have Florence to thank for my new found hope. I cannot imagine somewhere more beautiful than this city.

Miranda – University of Louisville