Hi, my name is Sammy Hiebsch, and I am a sophomore at Alabama. I am studying abroad in Milan, Italy this semester. I considered many different places when trying to decide where to study abroad but Milan just called to me for some reason. I have been to Europe many times before and even lived in Germany for three years, so I knew Europe is where I wanted to go. However, I didn’t want to go back to Germany again. Italy seemed like the perfect place, and I learned that we had an exchange program in Milan with Cattolica and knew I’d found my match. I am currently still stateside but will be leaving in just a few days. I am preparing by packing a lot (probably too much) and trying to calm my nervous mother as well. I know that they have a very different culture there, however, I have been to Europe before, so I feel like I am better prepared than others may be for my semester abroad. I am still nervous though because I don’t speak Italian (oops) and that might be an issue. I am taking an Italian class while I’m there so hopefully that can help with the basics and small talk. While I am in Italy, I hope to pass on my classes most importantly, travel, and meet new people. I love traveling and I’m so excited for this experience. I want to travel all over Italy and even within Europe if possible. I know things are a little difficult right now because of COVID but I still hope to be able to travel as much as I can.