These past four months in Florence have been the greatest of my life, and I know I’ll carry them with me forever. It’s honestly hard to put into words how much this experience has changed me, my mindset, my outlook on life, and the way I see the world. I came here expecting to learn about history and culture, but I’m leaving having learned just as much about myself and the people around me.
Leaving Florence has been one of the hardest and most emotional things I’ve ever experienced. It’s not just leaving a place, it’s leaving behind the people, the routines, and the version of life I built here. The streets that once felt unfamiliar became part of my everyday life. The faces I passed became familiar. The small routines, like stopping at my favorite café for a cappuccino between classes or walking past the Duomo on my way to class, became things I didn’t even think twice about, until now.
But more than anything, it’s the people I’m going to miss. The friendships I made here turned into something so much deeper than I expected. Living, traveling, and experiencing everything together created bonds that feel hard to explain unless you’ve lived it. These people became my routine, my support system, and my family.
At the same time, one of the most incredible parts of studying abroad was the ability to travel. Before this semester, I had barely been outside of the U.S., and now I’ve been to nearly twenty countries in just four months. Whether it was taking a train to Pisa to catch a flight to Hungary, Morocco, or Albania, or an overnight bus from Madrid to Lisbon, every trip felt like a new adventure. And the best part was that I got to experience all of it with people who made those moments unforgettable.
I’ll miss the constant movement, the spontaneity, and the feeling that every day held something new. I’ll miss learning something new without even trying, just by walking outside or having a conversation.
Adjusting to Florence took time and now leaving it is going to take time too. Change is hard in both directions. But I’m trying to remind myself that I’m not leaving empty-handed. I’m leaving with memories that will last a lifetime, with friendships that I know will continue, and with a version of myself that has grown in ways I didn’t expect.
It’s easy to feel sad that it’s over, but I keep coming back to the idea that it’s better to be grateful that it happened at all. This experience showed me how beautiful life can be when you stay open, whether that be to new places, new people, or new experiences.
I don’t think I’ll ever fully be able to explain what this semester meant to me. But I do know that it changed me, and that’s something I’ll carry with me long after I leave.
I love you forever, Florence.
