My Study Abroad Adventure Begins!

At this time tomorrow I will be en route to Italy! I am studying abroad in Italy for three and a half weeks which will fulfill my elective rotation of my dietetic internship!! I will be joined by two other classmates, Erica and Liz.   The three of us will be staying in an apartment with two other girls, and studying and Florence University.  The class we will be taking is "Food, Culture, and Society."  In the class we will discuss the history of Italian culture, as well as the present moment.  The class will also have a few days of cooking and wine tasting!  Sounds perfect to me!!

Right now I have a mix of emotions.  I am so excited and thankful to have this opportunity to travel and study in one of the most beautiful countries in the world!  Italy is one of my top five places in the world that I would like to visit and I am thrilled to be going at such a great time and place in my life.  I am feeling confident in traveling overseas, since I have done so in the past (to Ireland and France with my family).  But, along with my excitement, I am incredibly nervous and overwhelmed.  I have never traveled so far on my own for this long.  There is always something uneasy about leaving my family, friends, and boyfriend, no matter how long I am gone.  But, I have the best family and friends a person can ask for.  All have helped to put my fears away and help to prepare myself for what is ahead!  This is a once in a life time chance!! There is no room for worrying.  Especially with all the exciting and beautiful Italian sites and delicious mouth watering food I am about to see and taste (and even cook!).

Packing was a little difficult... I always over-pack, but this is no trip to over-pack for, especially since I need plenty of room for souvenirs!

Hoping everything fits and is under 50 pounds

First official fitting = complete failure

Finally done!

I would like to thank my wonderful parents for allowing me to take this wonderful opportunity.  (I love you mom and dad!!)  My father studied abroad in France and my brother Kevin studied abroad in Switzerland (an now a Peace Corps volunteer in Azerbaijan).  Hearing about both experiences have always made me jealous in the fact that I never had the opportunity to study abroad.  My life in undergrad consisted of swimming, eating, sleeping, and studying.  As a student-athlete, there was just no time to study abroad anywhere!  But now, in grad school, the opportunity still awaits.  I finally get my chance to study abroad!! 

Please feel free to follow me now through June 4th to hear about my study abroad experience!

Ciao!

Molly Jean