I’d say what I learned most about myself was learning how to be independent and to critically think in situations I had not been exposed to prior. I had traveled to the UK and France before but that had been with a school trip and I had no free time or ability to do what I wanted to do. This trip was entirely different as it is quite literally what you make of it. I could have stayed in the weekends and caught up on sleep or extra studying but then I wouldn’t have taken advantage of staying an entire month in Italy. I learned how to “go with the flow” and not overthink situations, but at the same time I also learned how to think ahead and prepare for situations mentally without stressing about it. It was eye-opening to have the freedom to do almost whatever we wanted for a weekend in a whole different country. I learned to balance traveling and also studying for two classes at the same time. I met awesome people in my study abroad including fellow students and professors and they each changed the trajectory of my trip and in a way my life for the better. I can honestly say I am a better man after a month of exploring Italy with some of the most adventurous and fun people I’ve met. I don’t regret almost anything from my trip and I wish I could’ve stayed longer. I learned that my attitude approaching certain trips affected the rest of a day. An example would be getting up early for a 7am train. I could either complain about feeling tired (which I did for the Venice trip) or I could make the best memories possible (this was most of the trip).
