Two weeks ago some friends and I decided to take advantage of what IES Abroad likes to call Wanderlust Friday, also known as a free Friday without classes. We took a 6 hour bus ride to Milan. I slept the entire way (including a snowstorm) only waking up for a few seconds to catch a glimpse of the Swiss Alps.

The Ss. Nome di Maria

I was so relieved when the other IES Abroad students and I actually made it to Chengdu.  After booking the tickets online, getting through security and customs at the airport, and using public transportation to get to our hostel, I was just glad I was in one piece.

As a first year, I knew studying abroad was something that I would always do. I told whoever would ask that I wanted to immerse myself in a foreign country, fully experiencing a different culture and hopefully improving my Spanish. However, it all seemed like a far-away dream which makes it difficult to fully grasp its realization. Now, less than a week away from departure, reality is just now starting to set in and with that comes many different emotions, but mostly excitement.

14 days. That’s the countdown until I leave for Rome. To say I’m excited would be an understatement. Study abroad is something I’ve been looking forward to, and planning for, since my freshman year of college. To finally have the opportunity to spend 12 weeks in Italy is very exciting. Of course, I’m nervous about certain things. Remembering 4 years worth of Italian classes, navigating public transportation, and balancing classes with exploring new places to name a few. But I’m looking forward to so much more.

Unfortunately, I caught an aggressive cold at some point last week. Never thought I would start a blog post with that, but, hey. Like the underestimator that I am, I kept thinking “it’s gonna get better, you’re totally fine” because, well, old habits. Because my school is in the barren countryside that some people call upstate NY, everyone at my university is weirdly perpetually sick and no one ever really takes time off to get better.

one of the various beautiful  canals around the city

The view after walking off the gondola at the top of the moutain