Hi! I am a junior from Abington, Massachusetts, studying Business Management and Psychology at Roger Williams University in Bristol RI. I chose to study in Florence for its dedication to arts and culture and for a chance to learn more about the world around me. After I graduate, I hope to find a career that encourages me to travel, or maybe start my own business!
Most memorable experience:
I have so many memorable experiences throughout my time in Italy, but my most memorable experiences here in Florence have been when my friends and I make dinner and sit down at the kitchen table together. Sometimes, we’ll just boil some pasta and talk about our day, and other times we’ll plan to all make something and sit down together. The night before Valentine’s Day, my roommates and I had our friends over for a girl’s night. One of my friends brought over a meat and cheese board, and we ordered heart-shaped pizzas from Gusta Pizza, and made pasta and meatballs from scratch. I made chocolate-covered strawberries and raspberries and we had our own Valentine’s Day dinner. We listened to music on our old radio and played card games with a deck we found in our kitchen. Going to authentic Italian restaurants is an essential part of studying abroad in Florence but being able to test out new recipes with my friends, have a home-cooked meal, and have a good night in is so much fun!
Advice for incoming students:
Challenge yourself! You’re in a new city with all new people and it’s fun to try things you typically wouldn’t do at home. It’s easy at first to be scared and want to stick to doing the same things with the same people. I ended up doing a lot of exploring alone, sitting at cool restaurants by myself, and learning a lot about how I interacted with the world around me. I also pushed myself to meet new people and go places that I wouldn’t typically go to. Try new foods, talk to the people in your classes, and talk to the locals at your favorite restaurant or shop. At the same time, it’s important to give yourself a break every once and a while or you’ll burn out. It’s so easy to compare how you spend your weekends to what everyone else is doing, but so much of the experience here is learning about yourself, so it doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing. Definitely take advantage of your time here because it goes by so fast.