Hello, my name is Ayla White and I’m senior double majoring in English and Studio Art. I chose to study abroad in Florence, Italy through College of Charleston purely because the richness of art and history European cities have to offer. This program provided me with everything I could have wished for. I’m located within the city center, about ten minutes from the Florence Duomo, about fifteen minutes from the Academia (where the statue of David is located) and the Uffizi museum (where Bottecili and Carrivagio have pieces), and living across the street from a property owned by Michelangelo and his family. Not only is our location great, but our program takes us on weekly field trips, most of them being outside of Florence. So far we have been to Bra, Alba, Siena, and Scandicci. Most of the field trips involve trying new foods, such as a sandwich made of cow lung and stomach, cheese made by allowing larvae to live in and eat it, and various different chocolates, cheeses, and gelatos made locally by some of the best producers.

The goal I have set for myself during my time in Italy is to explore and travel. Usually, I spend a lot of my alone time watching Netflix or browsing social media, but I do not want to waste my semester in my apartment. I want to see as much as I can and experience Italy to the fullest. So far, I have been sticking to that goal, but sometimes I’m forced to stay in my room, overwhelmed by homework assignments, which is understandable. Although I have not yet been outside of Italy, I have found myself growing positively in ways that allow me to be a better version of myself. Traveling has made me more confident, willing to talk to new people, and urged me to try new foods I would have never tried before.

I usually don’t do much research before I go somewhere, which is considered to be weird. I like to walk around and stumble upon things, or have conversations with people and hear about what they liked doing or seeing. My initial research was mainly about the museums within Florence and what art was held in them. Other than that, I did not research much. Most of my trips have been based around what other people have enjoyed, which is far more helpful in my opinion. I’ve enjoyed all my trips recommended by professors and classmates.