Pre-Trip
7/30/22
Today is the day I created this blog! All day at work I was planning how I would create and handle this blog, and I decided to just write. I recently discovered that I LOVE to write, so I am so excited to get started on this. I wanted to give a little bit of background on me and my plans for my trip. I've always known I wanted to study abroad and I decided that Spring 2023 would be the best time because of my major and the classes I have to take. I've been working with a study abroad advisor at UMD to figure out what I need to do in order to be eligible. It's honestly been so stressful already and it's only just begun! Today, I requested my official transcript to be sent to API which is the co-sponsor that my program will be run through. I also filled out the housing accommodation form, which was really similar to what I had to fill out for on campus living before my first year at UMD. This form finished the first step of the onboarding process! I won't know my living situation for a while yet, but the general information about housing said I will be living in an apartment owned by API in the middle of Florence. I will have anywhere from 3 to 10 housemates, and most likely have a roommate that I will share a room with.
The school I will be attending in Florence is called Lorenzo de Medici Institute. The best way to describe it would be an international school for study abroad students. The next step for me will be to fill out an academic form for the classes I want to take when I get there. I am required to take an Italian language class, which I am extremely excited for. Otherwise, I am planning to take a lot of culture classes like food and art and writing. I'm hoping these classes will expand my knowledge of the Italian culture in general, but hopefully specifically the Tuscany region.
I have a TON of plans to travel through Europe while I'm over there. My top bucket list items are 1) Greece, 2) Paris, 3) Berlin, and 4) Switzerland. Some of my family members are planning to make trips over there, so I'm hoping to be able to meet up with them in so many other places as well! I could not be more excited for this adventure, but for now, I will be posting some updates about everything I will have to do before I leave. I hope to also have a "tips and tricks" page with some of the things I am packing, how I am saving money, and things that I find helpful as the process continues!
Thank you so much for following along and I hope I have another update soon! ❤️
12/6/22
Wow. I can't believe I thought what I was doing in July was stressful. I had no idea what was coming with the visa process. This process was so extremely confusing and way more complicated than I feel like it should be. After a couple months, so much stress, and just too much to even write in here, I finally got my visa application and everything else mailed out. I don't mean to be dramatic (I kind of do), but I felt a physical weight lifted off my shoulders when I left the post office. I'm so relieved to have that done! Now, we wait and wait and wait for January. I officially have my flights booked, I'm leaving on January 28th, and I will return on June 10th. It's all coming up so quick. I've started to think a lot about what to pack and I've done a lot of research. Everything I've seen has said to pack half of what you think you'll need, which is going to be hard for me.
I have turned in my course registration form the school, and I'll wait to share that until I get my schedule, but I'm really really excited about it and I hope I get all my first picks! I had a pretty tough semester with my classes here at UMD so I'm excited to take some really fun classes. I will also receive my housing assignment in a couple weeks along with my onboarding and arrival schedule, so you can expect more frequent posts from here on out! I'm excited that I finally had something to write about today!
This was kind of a quick one I just wanted to give a little update about what's been going on! I'm really proud of this website and everything I've done up to this point, so if you have any suggestions or questions please please let me know! Thanks for following along!
1/10/23
I got my class schedule today!! I had been waiting and waiting to find out what classes I will get to take this semester and I am so excited with the classes I got! The only disappointment was that I didn't get into my first choice class which was called "Wines of Italy". It's a really popular class so I'm not surprised it filled up quick, but I'm still a little bummed. Other than that, I got all my first choices!
Italian Language Elementary 1: I'll learn the basics about how to communicate and hopefully come back with way more knowledge of the Italian language!
Yoga; Breathing, Meditation, Spirituality: This is my only class on Mondays, so it will be a nice relaxing start to my weeks. I will learn about the roots of many yoga practices, and each class is accompanied by a physical practice of the topic discussed.
Ancient Rome: This is the alternate to my wine class. I'm still very much looking forward to this. I've always liked learning about Ancient Rome, so I am excited to deepen my knowledge and understanding of Ancient Roman culture and religion, all while studying just a few hours from Rome itself.
Italian Style Cooking: This is a lab/kitchen based course where I will learn how to cook some popular Italian dishes, along with learning more about the nutritional benefits of these dishes. I will also learn about the benefits of a well rounded, nutritional diet. I even get to wear a professional chefs apron, hat, and coat!
Sports Nutrition: This class, I am most excited for. Sports nutrition is something I am interested in as a career so I am so pumped to learn more about it. This class kind of goes along with my cooking class because I will learn about the benefits of a well rounded diet as it relates to athletes and high performance. I was almost shaking with excitement when I found out this class includes day trips to professional sports facilities, such as the pro soccer team in Florence, to get on-field experience with nutrition and athletic performance as well as working with the athletes.
Overall, I am very happy with my schedule. All but one of these classes are only one day a week, so it leaves plenty of time for exploring! I should be receiving information about housing and orientation next week so stay tuned for an exciting update about where I will be living! ❤
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