As I eagerly await to begin my semester in Italy, many emotions are running through my head…excitement, anxiousness, curiousness, the list goes on and on. This will be my first time studying abroad and I could not be more excited. I am eager to experience and live in a different culture and I cannot wait to see what opportunities unfold during my time abroad. When I first saw the Wofford in Milan promotion, I sent the link to my parents by jokingly saying “that would be nice,” not thinking anything else of it. My parents began looking into the program and told me that this was a once in a lifetime experience. Needless to say, I applied and was accepted into the program or else I would not be writing this post.
Prior to committing to Wofford, the opportunities to study abroad set this school apart from the others I was looking at, among many other things. I viewed this new program in Milan as a sign for me to study abroad because I hadn’t felt prepared enough my two prior years at Wofford as I was still figuring out how exactly to do this college “thing.” As a junior, I can allow myself to step outside of my comfort zone more by living in a different country away from my family, friends, and Wofford community, without questioning my place at Wofford upon my return. I am so thankful for the support from my family, friends, and Wofford on my decision to join the Wofford in Milan program.
Although I am nervous to live in a different country without my family being an hour and a half drive and my close friends being with me, I am so excited to grow closer to the other Wofford students on the trip who I otherwise may have never had the opportunity to meet and know. Having a Wofford support system in Milan will be so important and will allow me to begin new relationships and create memories that I will cherish forever. In addition to exploring Italy, I am eager to explore surrounding countries! I hope to learn new things about myself through this experience and learn about cultures different than my own. I am excited to experience education in a completely different way than I have grown up with. I cannot wait to start my abroad adventure!
As I prepare to depart on my new adventure in two days, I am finishing up my packing and realized that I am already facing my first challenge…fitting everything into one checked bag…haha! Luckily this “challenge” is easy to overcome and instead of narrowing down my wardrobe and things I “need,” I have decided to check two bags. Easy solution, right?! This will make for an interesting trip from MXP to my dorm, but I am up for the challenge 😉 All jokes aside, I am so eager to arrive in Italy and cannot wait to see what the future holds for me and my fellow Wofford students in the program. We will have a welcome dinner of delicious Italian pizza in the dorm on our first night, and begin our orientation the following day. My amazing roommate, Olivia, and I have already been planning some trips we would like to take while in Europe. This has been so fun to plan with her and we are over the moon excited!