Friday, December 20, 2013

Ciao Italia...and so it ends


The decorations are up…


The lights are strung…




And the goodbyes have begun.


The Christmas season is here, and with it a beautiful ending. It’s hard to believe that the fall semester is officially over. It’s bittersweet. I am finally going home to see my family, my friends, and my dog. However, I am leaving a place that I have completely and utterly fallen in love with.

In the last 4 months I have visited 8 countries and 24 cities. And throughout all these adventures I have met so many wonderful people, many of which I will have as friends for a lifetime.

People always say how great their time spent studying abroad was; but to be honest, in my case, “great” doesn’t even begin to do it justice. I have never learned more about myself, the world and my place in the world then I have during my time living abroad.

One of the best things I learned is that there is a beautiful aspect in everything and everyone. People and places exist to be appreciated, and that’s never something I fully understood or did before.

Over the last few weeks I have been trying to just enjoy my last minutes studying in Europe. I mean, you could be going to check out Sandro Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Primavera one moment and next thing you know you are walking down a street lined with the stores of top designers. This all could be done while taking classes. 

Studying in Florence has been fantastic and I can’t exactly articulate how much it has meant to me.


Thank you for all for the support and good thoughts that were sent my way this semester…and, SHOUT OUT to my amazing parents who made this experience a reality for me!

I'm leaving tomorrow with some of the best memories of my life.

















Ciao, ci vediamo Firenze.