6 weeks, 14 cities.

I have seen Diocletian’s Palace, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Duremo, Roman Colosseum, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Roman Forum and Palatine, Pompeii ruins, Mount Vesuvius, Faraglioni Rocks, St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace. The list could go on…and I still have one week left.

I think when you go abroad you have a certain expectation for your experience. You ultimately want to make sure you take advantage of every single place you visit and the moments captured in them. For me, I was quite worried that 6 weeks wasn’t enough time to absorb everything I wanted to see and do. One thing I told myself before arriving in Sorrento was that there was no way I’d be able to see all of Europe (and that’s ok). I truly just wanted to make my host city a second home. Studying abroad involves two things: getting an international education and completely immersing yourself in new opportunities.

I like my life in Charleston. I enjoy my routine, my studies, and being close to friends and family. I would say that anticipating this experience made me uncomfortable or for a better word: anxious. I always wanted to study abroad but it almost seemed like a distant thought that wasn’t quite reachable. I knew that I wanted to feel out of my comfort zone in order to accomplish some sort of personal growth.

I wrote in my admissions essay to my program “…true growth often originates from external experiences that triumph over the academic realm, and Sorrento Italy promises to be a classroom like no other.” I have to say that I foreshadowed my experience thus far at the Sant’Anna Institute.

Walking around Calhoun and St Philip St, seeing familiar faces, and having classes with past peers and professors is a typical academic experience. Typical is not a word I could possibly apply to my time in Italy. There’s something amazing about traveling. It breaks down these everyday routines and immerses us in diversity. Each destination I’ve visited has offered me a unique lesson that I couldn’t fathom learning in my known environment.

I am out of my comfort zone. No doubt about it. It’s because of this familiarity and external experiences that make for beautiful memories and internal growth. Global growth that extends beyond the typical academic scene.

Entering my last week in Sorrento is extremely bittersweet. While writing this, I’m trying to recall all my favorite travel memories, it’s hard to pinpoint only some. All the individual memories make up for a very full picture.

 I’m anticipating what my last week will hold in store.