Buongiorno!
Everything about studying abroad felt like it went by so fast. From leaving to spend a month in Florence, Italy to now writing my final blog post on the experience for the Pitt Honors Blog, it really went by in the blink of an eye. I think how quickly everything went by was what surprised me most about my study abroad. I was there for a whole month, but the classes and every weekend trip I went on felt like they flew by. I had two 2-hour long classes almost every weekday, and an adventure filled agenda for every weekend. If I were to go abroad again, I would make sure I planned my time more carefully. While studying abroad, I went on weekend trips with friends to Cinque Terre and Naples/Pompeii. All of these places were absolutely stunning, and I’m incredibly glad I got to see them. The only complaint I have was that we planned the trips at the last minute, which makes a little sense given that I didn’t know any of the people I’d be studying with or my academic schedule until I got there. Planning quickly the week before we left for the trip not only meant the train tickets were often more expensive, but also left us trying to navigate and figure out where we wanted to go on the spot without having much time to decide. It also meant that we felt a bit rushed while going through a lot of the places, though only so much can be done about that on weekend trips. I did have a blast just walking around and seeing the sights, but the planner in me would have enjoyed a more solid plan.
Doing this study abroad has helped my confidence a lot. This was my first time traveling on my own, without my parents or another adult I know. Becoming more confident and independent was one of my personal goals for studying abroad. As far as my studies go, I think that I would like to learn more about sustainability. The sustainability topic was part of the reason that I chose this study abroad in particular. Sustainability is relevant to many current events and is important to me personally. I’m not certain I’ll take any more classes for credit, but I’ll be keeping my eye out for other opportunities to learn more about sustainability.
Overall, I loved studying abroad, and would recommend it to anyone who is even remotely interested. Before I went, I was concerned about time and workload commitments, as well as the financial impact studying abroad would have. However, careful scheduling and scholarship searching helped all my concerns, and I made it happen. It truly was a life-changing experience.
Ciao,
Abby Magistro