My experience in Florence with CEA CAPA

My experience with CEA CAPA in Florence, Italy was very positive overall. I chose this program because of the location, excursions, length, and opportunities and it did not disappoint despite me traveling abroad solo. Going alone turned out to be a wonderful opportunity as I constantly found myself going out of my comfort zone to meet new people, try new things, interact with the local community, and travel around Europe. I was quickly able to make friends through the orientation and classes. I would even go on some spontaneous trips with these new friends! I was able to travel and see many places in Italy as well as several other countries that I never had before. Having never left the USA before, this experience was eye opening and gave me entirely new perspectives on the world. Additionally, the food, sights, people, and culture make Florence a must see. I found the academics provided by CEA CAPA to be generally easy and interesting which made getting the most out of my time abroad easier! The volunteering opportunities provided by CEA CAPA also made my experience so fun! I volunteered at a local elementary school to help teach English to local students. It was one of my favorite aspects of the entire experience!

The only real downsides I can think of is that it can get quite expensive so definitely save your money if you're planning on studying abroad and also that in some places the technology may not be as adequate as you may be used to in other countries. For example, my laptop broke while I was abroad, and no shops were able to fix it despite it being fixable in the US. Other than that, my experience was very smooth and enjoyable and I 100% recommend everyone studies abroad at some point in their academic career!