I’ve been having the best time of my life while studying abroad in Europe. From trying different foods to exploring ruins in various cities and countries, I’ve learned a great deal and feel like I’ve been deeply immersed in the culture. Our program is a traveling study abroad, so we don’t stay at one location. And although we’re on the go constantly, I believe it’s the best way because we can see so much more of Europe. We have class for a couple of hours in the morning, and then the rest of the day is ours to either explore or visit the next city. Our group has only 19 students, which is smaller than the past groups so it’s easier to plan and coordinate activities all together. One of my favorite activities we’ve done so far was kayaking in Dubrovnik right outside the castle walls. We stopped at a little cove where there was cliff jumping and snorkeling, and raced on the way back. I also enjoyed the pasta-making class in Florence. I’ve never done anything like that before, so to say that I was taught how to make pasta in Italy was a dream come true. We’ve experienced many languages on this trip, but I don’t think that it was necessarily an obstacle. Most people knew English or were willing to help us if we had any trouble with anything. As it’s getting to the end of the trip, there’s not much I’ve done to prepare. I’ve been accumulating souvenirs for myself, my family, and friends along the way so I wouldn’t have to do it all in one place. The only downside to that is that I have to keep traveling with them every place we go, which can be a bit of a hassle. I am sad to leave, but I think it was a good duration trip as I am ready to go back to the States and enjoy the last half of summer before the next semester starts.
