Going through my memories of the last few months, I miss the adventures. But, while traveling and hiking and exploring Siena were experiences I’ll never forget, it’s my daily Sienese life that I think I miss the most. Getting up to a cappuccino from my host mother, or passing the amazing view of Siena on the way to IES, or grabbing a pre-dinner baguette from Conad to share with a friend (or two or three) in the Campo.

I’m glad that I went to New Zealand with the help of IES.  There were many advantages to using IES as a resource, both on American soil and abroad.  For starters, I got two great resources – my coordinator Eunice and her assistant Chris.  Having them be able to help me, especially the first week there and then later as a resource (should I had needed them) when the semester was in full swing, was absolutely terrific and came with a piece of mind as well.

In the total of five months I was abroad, I had some AMAZING food.  I think lamb was my favorite food because I didn’t really have it that much in the States.  Besides, lamb was everywhere and always delicious.  There was a lot of food that you could find in America, but many of the names had changed.  Rice Krispies are called Rice Bubbles, french fries are known as chips, and chips are (from what I remember) potato crisps.

I apologize for the delayed post but I wanted to take some time to reflect on my abroad experience.

Before my departure I wanted my experience to as fun and memorable as possible. I wanted to do the unknown, meet amazing people and try new foods.

In my last weeks with IES Rome, we had a meeting with some of the staff to talk about preparing to return to the United States. We talked about reverse culture shock and how to overcome the obstacles of our friends not giving a you-know-what about your unbelievable, unforgettable, unmatched experience in Europe. These things all sounded like a joke to me and to be honest (sorry guys) I only came to the meeting for the free snacks.

This past semester has taught me so much. It’s surreal that I’m going to be heading back to the United States and these past four months will only be memories. Many I will never forget.