So far Milan, Italy has been a wonderful and inspiring place to be.  Although the transition coming from the United States to Italy was a rough one, it is finally growing to be such a wondrous experience!  The flight here was not a bad one, for all I did was sleep much and my luggage made it safely, which helped a ton.  Stepping foot in Italy was very different than what I was used to, especially my first time going to their grocery store.  People only speaking Italian around you and reading menus that were only in Italian created such a culture shock for myself and others.  It takes time getting over this but I made a way!  I definitely believe that studying abroad in a place that interests you is such an experience that everyone should pursue.

This past weekend my roommates and I took a trip to Nice, France and Cinque Terre, Italy.  Nice was a beautiful place to be and so refreshing, especially with the beach on the coast and the amazing sight to view from the water.  Cinque Terre was also an amazing sight to see with the mountain tops and the water on the coast and the people enjoying the good weather.  We also went on the excursion with our adviser to Lake Como, a place you must see!  We took the ferry to a town along the water and hiked up a mountain top city and were able to see the amazing view from the top!  This has already been such an experience and next weekend will be even greater traveling to Rome, Florence, and Pisa!

Raquel – Virginia Commonwealth University