FSU has an incredible study abroad program; it’s one of the main reasons I chose to attend college here. FSU has campuses in Italy, Spain, England, and Panama, to name a few. I always knew I wanted to go abroad; I even looked into taking a gap year before starting college, but I never found a program I felt comfortable joining.
When I arrived at FSU and realized I could study abroad alongside other FSU students, I immediately jumped at the opportunity and ended up spending my entire first semester abroad. Choosing where to go was almost impossible, as FSU offers so many great options.
My grandfather was Italian, and my grandmother is Spanish, so both Florence and Valencia (two of the most popular choices) held personal meaning. I’m fluent in Spanish, which would’ve made Valencia a more straightforward choice, but my love for art and the Renaissance made me feel like Florence was the place I needed to be.
My mom and other family members studied abroad in Florence when they were my age, so it started to feel like a family tradition I wanted to continue. My apartment was just a few streets away from where my mom lived at the time! I loved feeling like I was following her footsteps and seeing that so many of the classic study abroad spots she remembered were still there and part of my experience as well.
Those months gave me some of my favorite memories, but they also came with challenges. I’d never been on my own before, so once my parents left, the reality of it all hit me. Like others, I was extremely homesick at first, and I checked flights home more times than I want to admit, but sticking it out changed me for the better.
It’s important to remember that there’s always an adjustment period when you move somewhere new, let alone to another country. I’d love to study abroad again now, as a junior or senior, and see how my experience would change.
With Study Abroad Week at FSU happening, I miss Florence even more. The event happens once a year, usually around Halloween, when the FSU international staff visits the Tallahassee campus to reconnect with students. On Oct. 28, they held a Directors’ Mix and Mingle at Township. The event was a mini-reunion where I could reconnect with people from my program, as well as directors and other study abroad alumni.
The Mix and Mingle is always bittersweet. Last year, many of my study abroad group members were there. This year, fewer people from my term abroad attended, but I was glad to see those who were there. I was able to see friends who I didn’t study abroad with, but went a different semester, and I also got to catch up with my study abroad director.
Everyone I know who’s studied abroad says the same thing, and I feel it too. It becomes an unforgettable experience that you end up talking about for years to come. The “one year ago today” memories start showing up. Suddenly, it’s two or three years later, and it hits you how much time has passed. Somehow, the city you lived in still feels like home and has this unexplainable hold on you. You miss it in the most random moments, and you carry it with you long after you return.
If you ever get the chance to study abroad, take it. I made some of my best memories and met some of my best friends. Everyone I know has only good things to say, and it truly stays with you in a way nothing else does.
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