Growing up, my parents always wanted to take a trip abroad with me in tow. At the time, I interpreted that as a lot of walking, too many museums, and listening to a bunch of people with accents talk about things that happened a long time ago. So, every summer, I declined the offer of a trip to Italy and enjoyed myself on the beach in Florida. (In retrospect, I realize I could not have been more narrowminded. But, by the same token, I am proud of myself for waiting to experience life on the other side of the world until I knew that I was mentally, emotionally, and psychologically prepared for it. Had I gone as a child, I know that I would have hated the experience due to my pessimistic perspective, unwillingness to learn, and lack of appreciation for the culture.)
Surprisingly enough, I had a drastic change of heart during the middle of my sophomore year. One day, I was perusing the book aisle at Target when a novel entitled Love and Gelato caught my eye. Because I have a passion for sappy romance novels, I grabbed it without much thought and proceeded to read the entire book that night. Afterwards, I was hooked on the idea of spending a summer in Italy, just as the protagonist had done. Without batting an eye, I immediately began researching the logistics of choosing a program, booking a flight, and pursuing this newly identified dream.
I almost instantly decided on Florence, Italy through Academic Programs International (API), an organization I identified after extensive and thorough investigation of the TAMU Study Abroad Portal. Despite not knowing a soul, I had never been so excited in my life. With a list of things to do and see already in hand (thanks to my new favorite book), I was ready to go and counting down the days.
At times, uncertainty of the unknown crept in, but it was always soon after overpowered by my excitement to explore a new country. As my departure date approached, I obtained various pieces of information about my trip, including the names of my roommates, logistics, and so forth. I was bursting at the seams, so much so that I didn’t bat an eye on my 9.5 hour flight across the pond.
Upon arriving in Florence, I was finally introduced to my roommate, Mackenzie, as well as our suitemates Brandie, Maura, Caroline and Yonah. We all became friends instantly, beginning to plan out our days and prioritize the various sites and sounds of the city. I believe that we clicked almost instantaneously as a result of our excitement, affinity for food and coffee back home, and desire to explore every nook and cranny of our temporary home. I learned that the museums I had heard about as a kid were anything but boring. Italian accents are captivating, and I actually enjoy walking from place to place on narrow sidewalks, along cobblestone roads. At the end of every day, I spent a half hour or so in reflection. I journaled about what I did, what I learned, what I ate, and who I met until my hand cramped or I ran out of things to say… whichever came first. I periodically go back and reread various journal entries in an effort to relive my favorite days and experiences. Through intentional reflection, I forced myself to live in the moment, appreciate every little detail of my day- even the mundane parts, and recognize the value in stepping out of my comfort zone.
Though there were many experiences from my trip that I would like to live over and over again, one of my very favorites was the weekend trip that Mackenzie and I took to the Amalfi Coast. On a whim, we decided to hop on a bus and make the overnight ride to the coast. We stayed in a hostile in Sorrento, hopping on a ferry every morning and exploring a new place. We were fortunate enough to visit Positano, the island of Capri, and the remains of Pompeii. There was so much to absorb in so little time that I consistently felt overwhelmed and in awe of the scenes in front of me. Positano, famous for its citrus trees, beautiful black sand beaches, and colorful shore line, was breathtaking from the moment our boat pulled up to the dock. Unlike anything I had ever seen, I found the local shops, postcards, artists and such incredibly captivating. On our second day, we toured the island of Capri, circling all around it via boat, then roaming the streets from top to bottom. Entering the Blue Grotto, enjoying the famous, freshly made granitas, riding the chair lift to the highest point of Anacapri, and finding the kindest handmade jeweler on the island were just a few of my favorite moments. On the way home, we stopped in Pompeii to tour the remains. Though my intake of facts was limited, I was amazed by the remaining structure and surplus of history that remains. As we walked back into our apartment late on Sunday evening, I remember turning to Mackenzie and saying, “I’m so glad we did that!” This experience reinforced the idea that risk, the unknown, and new adventures are rarely a bad thing. There is always something new to learn, to see, to appreciate and to take a picture of!
I chose to enroll myself in a course entitled “Wine Business”, because it offered promising business and marketing material which I thought would be relevant to my future. Additionally, I was minimally aware of the role that wine plays within the Italian culture, and I thought it would be a great way to immerse myself even further. My experience with the course, and my wonderful Professor, Dario, were truly life changing. I found the history, production, and marketing of the product incredibly interesting, and it is something that I could see myself working with again in the future. I was able to draw a great deal of information from my Principles of Marketing course into my final presentation that I gave while abroad that revolved around introducing a new product (type of wine) into the market. As part of my presentation, I had to discuss the 4 P’s of marketing: product, price, promotion, and place, as they related to my new wine. Upon returning to Texas A&M, I began to explore my new area of interest by visiting both a winery and an alcoholic beverage distributor at the career fair. In fact, one of the companies I spoke with was my professor’s previous employer, so I was able to further develop that connection and maintain my network, despite it being halfway across the world.
My time abroad was so transformative that I have decided to study in Europe, again, next summer. I now have a new appreciation for the global mindset and recognize that in a way, business is business regardless of where you are in the world. Additionally, I believe I am much more open-minded, independent, and adventurous than I was prior to my stint in Florence. Because Italy shattered all of my expectations and negated all of my old assumptions, I will now be exploring six other countries. I believe that this next experience abroad will further develop my global spirit and mindset, and I couldn’t be more ecstatic.
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