Life-changing experience!

My experience studying abroad was life-changing. I think back to all the doubts and hesitations I had initially applying to study abroad. I was afraid of leaving my friends and family in home, I was afraid to immerse myself in an unfamiliar culture, I was afraid that I would not meet any new people, I was afraid I would be homesick...Oh, I would have never forgiven myself if I had given into these fears and did not study abroad. I made an entire new group of friends: we travelled together every weekend, we studied for our classes together, we went out to eat every night and tried new foods together (CACIO E PEPE IS NOW MY STAPLE FOOD), we explored beautiful art and architecture together (I GOT TO SEE THE LAST SUPPER IN-PERSON), we grew and developed together. We are still spending almost every minute together as we all go to Penn State (who knew I would meet new people abroad who went to the same school as me and who I never managed to meet on campus before!) And I can't forget about our guy friends who we met that are back at IU right now - they were always good sports when we would make them take tons of pictures of us.

My younger self saw the Lizzie Maguire movie when she went to Rome, Italy with her class. It was in that moment that I wanted to follow her steps and go abroad to Italy. And yes, I threw a coin into the Trevi Fountain in Rome! Not only did I explore Italy (which by the way you must go on a gondola ride through Venice & go on a wine tour in the vineyards of Tuscany), but I had the opportunity to travel to 10 different countries in the span of four months (thanks to our 3 day weekends through IES Abroad). I got to live my Mamma Mia moment in Greece, go to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, live in luxury at an all-inclusive (that was actually very cheap) in Menorca (an island off of Spain), ate at the oldest restaurant that was built in the 1400s in Vienna, Austria, go to afternoon tea in London, go on a tour in a vintage car through Prague, explored on a catamaran boat in Lisbon, Portugal, and experience so many exciting other opportunities.

Let's not forget about the "study" part of study abroad. I actually got to learn a ton of Italian, which made it fun to converse with the locals. AND, I got to participate in a Language Exchange Program with a local Italian student, who I am still in touch with today. I got to take classes that were not offered at Penn State and were also so exciting (tons of fun field trips). I am SUPER into fashion and merchandise, so I was thrilled to take classes such as Visual Merchandising (all about retail window displays) and Managing Luxury Goods (I got to go to the Armani museum for this class). I also got super immersed with the enriching history and culture through my History of the Great Italian Cities class (because Europe has such an incredibly deep history that America does not have as we are babies compared to the age of other country's cultures). I even still got leadership experience through participating in the IES Abroad Student Council, in which I was able to collaborate with other students and provide my feedback, which was always taken into consideration.

In terms of my housing, it was so cheap (like less than half the amount I pay at Penn State), and it was gorgeous. I was in a very modern apartment (and yes, there actually was AC) with my own bedroom and bathroom. It had a big kitchen and a balcony (also a super fun rooftop). There were also plenty of amenities like a gym at my apartment complex. I ended up making most of my friends at the apartment complex. So don't get too worried about not having a good living situation...Trust me, it will work out.

I grew so much as an individual and developed more confidence and independence through this opportunity. I got to explore so many parts of the world. I would have never been able to do any of this if I had not studied abroad. It truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (not to sound too cheesy). PLEASE DON'T LET YOUR FEARS STOP YOU FROM HAVING A LIFE-CHANGING OPPORTUNITY. I am living proof that studying abroad is absolutely worth taking the leap of faith.