The Experience of a Lifetime!

As a Spring 2014 Florence alum, I have no doubt that AIFS was the best program I could've chosen to help me fulfill my nearly lifelong dream of studying abroad. And even now--half a year removed from my experience--there's not a day that goes by that I don't think back to my unforgettable time in Florence and the (what seems like) entire lifetime's worth of happy memories I created there.

To start, my favorite parts about the program were the meal plan and the almost daily activities/excursions AIFS offered once we arrived in Italy. The meal plan was a really great way to experience the food culture of Italy without breaking the bank--with our breakfast/lunch and dinner cards, my friends and I were able to dine at fancy restaurants we wouldn't have been able to afford off plan, grab a quick panino or pizza to go, buy fresh produce at the local fruit stand, go out for aperitivo (which is kind of like the Italian version of happy hour), go grocery shopping, and even buy cocktails at local bars. In addition, almost daily AIFS gave us the option of participating in cultural immersion activities such as attending soccer games, gelato tours, cooking and baking classes, wine tastings, the opera and ballet, and day-long excursions to various destinations throughout Italy. With the help of these activities, I felt I was able to come away from my abroad experience with an excellent grasp on Italian culture and daily Florentine life.

Overall, the AIFS program in Florence made the necessary accommodations for us students to live an extremely comfortable life in Italy without holding our hand, hovering, or babying us through the entire process. I had envisioned gaining invaluable independent living skills from my abroad experience--the last thing I wanted to be was dependent on my program in any way. For that reason, I really appreciated that AIFS took care of the hard stuff for us--arranging our airfare, setting us up in apartments, providing us with meal options, helping us locate doctors if we got sick, etc.--but then set us free to do our own thing as we pleased. With AIFS, you can be as independent as you want to be, but there's always an incredible support system to fall back on if you find yourself having trouble, and that was great to know.

I would enthusiastically recommend AIFS to anyone who is interested in studying abroad!