Today’s blog post comes to us from Fordham University student & API blogger Nicole Alston!
Reflections…
As I take my last final exam today, spend my last day in Florence tomorrow & board a plane back to New York after 4 months of being away from everyone and everything I love on Saturday, I wanted to take some time to reflect on my experience & everything I have learned since being abroad.
1. I learned more academically than I was expecting.
Not only is the curriculum at LdM fantastic, the connections I made with my professors during the semester formed bonds that will last a lifetime.
2. Being away from home during the holidays was not as difficult as I imagined it would be.
Even though I never experienced the feeling of being home sick during my time in Italy, I thought especially over Thanksgiving I would feel far from home, but that couldn’t have been farther from the truth! My roommate’s parents were in town so that night we all went out to dinner together & played a card game after. It was perfect.
3. Being away from home, my university and my friends made me appreciate them more.
Of course I miss everything from home, but this feeling is different than just missing all of that. I have definitely grasped a newfound appreciation for my life at home, since everything in Florence is so completely opposite to my normal (in a fun & exciting way!).
4. I actually feel ready to go home!
I wasn’t sure how I would feel when my experience abroad was coming to an end – if I would feel ready to go home, sad to leave, or desperate to get back! I can confidently say I am somewhere in the middle. While my experience was amazing, I feel like it is time to be over and I am ready to get home and start a new journey in my life, using what I have learned about the world and myself while being abroad.
