The Gift of Friction

The Gift of Friction

While this study abroad was only two and a half weeks, it feels like I have been gone for much longer. We travelled to 4 countries and 5 cities spanning 3 different languages with entirely different roots. The thing that has shocked me most about coming home is just...
Off to Italy!

Off to Italy!

To whom it may concern, Today is my final day in Raleigh, NC. In just a few hours, my mom and I will depart on our 12:30 PM flight to JFK airport, then a short layer before our flight to Rome, Italy!  I could not be more excited for this trip! I have been...
Upon Return

Upon Return

Now that I’m back home, I’ve been feeling pretty sad that my time abroad is over. I definitely missed some food spots like Chick-fil-A and Willy’s while I was in Europe, and it was fun to have those again, but it’s hard to beat the food in Europe. Everything there...
While Abroad

While Abroad

When I first arrived in Florence, I was actually really nervous. We got dropped off just outside the city center, and it didn’t look like any of the pictures or videos I had seen online. I remember thinking, “Is this really Florence?” But I quickly realized we were...
Preperation

Preperation

When it came to getting ready for study abroad, I took a pretty practical approach. I focused on the essentials, especially clothes. A few solid pairs of pants and shorts, some reliable t-shirts, and that’s really all I brought. I knew I didn’t want to overpack,...
Homesick–>Abroadsick

Homesick–>Abroadsick

Now that I am back home and have completed what feels like a million loads of laundry, I have finally been able to reflect back on my trip and reminisce on all of the amazing memories that I have made over the past month. The feelings I experienced at the airport at...
Diminishing Nerves

Diminishing Nerves

Give me a wig and call me Hermione—I packed a lot into that backpack. I don’t actually know whether I packed enough or too much. But after getting no sleep and facing a 10-hour layover today, I feel a lot of pride. My nerves about flying and traveling have...

Public Transit When Abroad

One essential truths about visiting European cities is that not every city is walkable and ubers can be quite expensive. The solutipn to this is utilizing the public transit systems that majority of the major cities in Europe will have. From Paris to London to Rome,...