Even prior to starting college, I knew that I wanted to study abroad. However, when it came time to actually look for programs, I had no clue where to start. I first looked at the Semester at Sea program, but quickly realized that I could not afford the program price. Then, I took a look at the International Student Exchange program (ISE), but had no clue the details of my soon-to-be trip. I knew that with ISE, I would need to make sure to learn about the school itself as well as the city, which was difficult enough to imagine. While I wasn’t dead-set on where I wanted to go, Italy was an absolutely a priority on my list. So, when I found about FIU’s program in Genoa, Italy, I knew I had found my match.
After gathering all of my documents and receiving my student visa, I flew across the globe to one of the most beautiful countries. I spent all of the Spring 2024 semester living in an apartment in Genoa. Genoa is a city in the Ligurian region of Italy, famous for its pesto and multi-colored buildings along the water. The first weekend after I arrived, we took a trip to Boccadasse. Boccadasse was exactly what I pictured when I thought about Italy. To be honest, I almost started tearing up when we got there because I could not believe that I was actually there. This was the first trip of many, and from then on I could not wait for all the adventures I would experience.
There is so much I can talk about when it comes to study abroad, but before I talk about my travels, I want to make one thing clear. Oftentimes, social media only shows the highlights of study abroad. Everyone talks about the trips and all of the food and the beautiful cultures, and while that is absolutely amazing and a part of study abroad, study abroad is not immune to struggles. I missed my family and friends and the community I had built at my university so much. My anxiety was honestly so bad while I was in Italy and I longed to see my loved ones again as a means to help. While I am grateful for all of the amazing experiences I had, being in another country does not mean that your problems disappear. It is important to understand this, no matter if you are at home in bed or on a plane every single weekend.
Speaking of going on a plane every weekend, here are the places I visited in the order in which I visited them:
- Italy (of course) 2. London, England (I love One Direction, so this was extra special). 3. Nice, France (eating a pizza on the beach in the south of France was insane and amazing) 4. Monaco (the casino was so so cool!!) 5. Switzerland (this was my dream country, so this one is extra special. I got to fulfill my dream of going paragliding, which was amazing!! 6. Madrid, Spain (I had the best cheesecake of my life here) 7. Paris, France (walking under the Eiffel Tower was surreal) 8. Brussels, Belgium (Best. Chocolate. I’ve. Ever. Had.) 9. Amsterdam, Netherlands (went on a boat in the canal which was beautiful) 10. Athens and Aegina Island, Greece (seeing the Parthenon at night was so beautiful and swimming in the ocean on a Greek island was so fun. Had my favorite meal of all of study abroad in Athens, too!) 11. Vienna, Austria (Vienna did in fact wait for me) 12) Budapest, Hungary (I went on an unlimited prosecco boat cruise at sunset and it was so so cool).
As you can tell, I got to see so many new things and places. That was definitely my favorite part of studying abroad. I am someone who loves to travel and see new things. I don’t like to stay in one place for too long (as you can probably tell), and travel has become a huge passion of mine. It is incredibly empowering and enriching, especially when it comes to solo travel. Solo travel and traveling in general has become a point of confidence for me and has shown me all that I can accomplish. It is something that I am so grateful that I am able to do and I hope that everyone who wants to travel the world gets the opportunity to do so.