Hello! My names Elijah Larson and I am a second semester Junior at College of Charleston, majoring in international Business. Currently, I am studying in Rome Italy through the CIEE Open Campus Block affiliate program. I chose this program for several reasons, but the main one was the opportunity to move around to multiple locations throughout the semester. For example, I have just spent 6 weeks in Madrid, and now am starting my second chunk of 6 weeks in Rome. As for my goals for studying abroad, I think my main ones are to get out of my comfort zone and change up my routine. I am travelling alone, as in not with anybody that I knew before coming here, so stepping out of my comfort zone is an absolute necessity to make friends and expand my network. Beginning with Spain, I learned about the previous dictatorship under Franco and how this can create a division amongst political parties. I also learned about the tensions between regions in Spain and how this impacted current relations. As for Italy, I have researched a bit about ancient Rome and how the catholic influenced has shaped Italian cultural values and traditions.