Study Abroad Reflection by Tyler Pottichen

I was obviously super excited going into this semester abroad, but I was also incredibly nervous. I was the only sophomore who ended up going on the trip so it was definitely a bit intimidating for me to meet a bunch of people that I didn’t know. The first week was definitely the hardest as it was my first time out of the country. A major goal of mine going into the trip was that I wanted to build more friendships. This trip allowed me to meet a ton of people who I’ll forever be grateful for. I didn’t realize just how close I could get with those on the trip in only a few months, but I truly loved every second I had with them. Being in Italy itself was absolutely incredible, but the fact that I made such amazing friends made it even better. When looking back on my time in Florence, I can’t help, but smile. I truly had the best few months of my entire life and a major reason for that were the friends I made. If I had to give advice to future students studying abroad, It would be to embrace the others who are going on the trip. It was definitely scary and overwhelming at first, but I think it’s extremely important. I also think it’s important to know that it’s normal to be anxious or scared the first few weeks. Studying abroad is an unbelievable experience, but it can also be intimidating at the beginning. It definitely took me a little while to adjust to Italy, but it gets much easier with time. Overall studying abroad is the best
decision I’ve made and I’m super super fortunate to have been able to get the chance to do it.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *