I had a lot of time
to reflect upon my last 4 months studying abroad as we sat on the runway for 4
hours waiting to take off (yeah…not fun). I had 9 more hours after take off to
think about what the last 4 months (or actually more like 3 1/2) have meant to
me.
It was without a
doubt, a semester to remember. Similar to the 10 hour turned 14 plane hour ride
home, it wasn’t at all what I expected, nor was it without some turbulence along
the way. While I got to travel almost every weekend and go on so many new adventures, there was so much
more to my experience than the Instagram pictures you saw.
Spending the summer
alone in Paris, luckily kind of prepared me for what to expect. The program I
did was located in Northern Italy at the base of the Alps about an hour north
of Venice. There were 18 of us Furman students (including one of my closest
friends Kayla!) as well as 40 other kids from schools across the country. It
was such a cool opportunity to meet kids from other colleges, but also get to
know kids from Furman better who I didn’t know very well before!
While the view out my
window reminded me of a dream, it was also a reminder of how remote our location was in Italy. Tiny town isn’t an appropriate description; we were in a teeny tiny town (I’m talking no grocery
store). It definitely took some time to get used to, but it was also a nice
reminder of how wonderful a simple life can be. I got to go on runs through the
vineyards with a view of the alps and it was a nice break from the usual fast
paced Furman atmosphere (even though I love Furman so much).
While I am a HUGE
advocate that everyone should have some kind of study abroad experience, it was
definitely not all butterflies and bliss. I missed my family and
there were some times of FOMO. I missed homecoming, football tailgating, and 2
of my sorority functions. But, at the same time I was getting to hop from
country to country every weekend eating my heart out and I got to see
sites I have always dreamed about!!! I’d say it was worth it… J. It’s not always easy, but I promise it’s worth
it.
I will be the first
to admit it was a break that was much needed. I was exhausted from the rigorous
Furman workload and needed some time away doing something I loved
(traveling!!). Being away for a semester made me appreciate what I had back at
Furman even more. It deepened my love of Furman even more and I
realized how much the friends I have made in college mean to me. It also made
coming home even more fun! I’m so thankful that I have friends and family and a beautiful
campus that makes coming home exciting rather than disappointing.
Although it wasn’t
all glamour and glitter. While it may have looked like we just pranced around
Europe for 3 months there were some not so nice hostels and lots of weekdays
cooped up in my small dorm room trying to get my work down so I wouldn’t have
to worry over the weekend.
Over all though, it
was a semester to remember. I visited 8 countries in 3 months and visited some
of my favorite places in Europe and some places I had never been before! I’ve
known that I wanted to study abroad for as long as I can remember. Italy
fulfilled my wildest dreams and I’m so thankful to have had this opportunity.
We made the effort to take a ton of pictures everywhere we went! I also brought my brother's GoPro (thanks Christopher!!) and took a video in every place we went!
To read about
everywhere I went!:
If you have any
questions about studying abroad or are hesitate about it or want to know more
details about my trips, don’t hesitate to ask me any questions! (prepavenue@gmail.com)
Remember,
xoxo
S
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ReplyDeletestudying abroad is a difficult time because you have to live on your own without support of your family and friends.
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