Arrivederci Italia!

My international experience was truly amazing, and I am so thankful to have gotten this opportunity! To sum it up, I was in Florence, Italy for three full weeks. The first week I was there, I spent the first few days to settling into my new apartment and starting to explore the city. That Monday,…

Reflecting On My Time In Florence

Well, my program sadly has come to an end, and I am writing this blog post from my South Oakland apartment 🙁 There are a lot of things I wish I had known before I began my international experience, but at the same time I really enjoyed going into this with no expectations. There is…

Permanently Moving To Florence? Hahaha … Unless???

I think becoming a full time resident of my study abroad location, Florence, Italy, would be so fun! Florence is one of the major Italian cities, which I love, but it’s not as super touristy as somewhere like Rome. I foresee myself living in a big city in the future, so imagining Florence as my…

Overcoming Challenges in Florence

The biggest challenge I have faced during my time in Italy is balancing studying, sightseeing, fun time, and relaxation. I have been kept super busy with everything that our program has had planned for us, but in my free time I struggle between having chill time to recharge myself and going out and having fun….

A Week of Surprises in Florence

To be honest, I didn’t have much expectations for my study abroad program before I departed. I pretty much had no idea what I was about to get myself into! I have a few friends who have studied abroad who have shared their experiences with me, but even so, I knew my individual experience would…

My Home in Firenze!

While I am here in Florence, I am living in an apartment right in the city center! I have three other roommates who are all Pitt students in the Food Studies in Italy program. There are two bedrooms, each with two roommates, a bathroom, and a kitchen and living area. We live on the third…

Food Studies in Italy: My Goals

I’ve set many goals for myself to (hopefully) accomplish during my three weeks in Florence, and I think I am already starting to make headway on most of them! Academically, I want to further my knowledge in gender studies. At the University of Pittsburgh, I am a Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies minor, so I…

Benvenuti a Firenze!

Hi everyone! My name is Hannah Vorndran, and I am a rising senior at the University of Pittsburgh. I am from Morgantown, WV and my favorite color is pink. 🙂 At the University of Pittsburgh, I am a Molecular Biology major on the Cell and Developmental Biology track with minors in both Chemistry and Gender,…