Howdy!
I have been home for a couple weeks now, but my time in Venice was once in a lifetime. Over the past four months I learned so much, travelled more than I ever have before, and met some incredible people. I will never forget the memories that I have made this semester!
After four months in Venice, I did begin to get used to its quirks and the differences in living there versus what I am used to. I began to appreciate walks to class and tiny grocery stores more and more. Venetian people can be very particular at times, but they do seem to live a much simpler life than we do in the United States. It was very normal to see cafes full of them every evening eating cicchettis, drinking wine, and socializing with friends. Locals are extremely friendly to one another, always saying hello to each other as they pass on the streets. Venice did begin to get more and more crowded as the weather became warmer. My flat was in a very touristy area, and the crowds were irritating at times. However, the great thing about Venice is that you can walk five minutes in almost any direction and stumble on a quiet street or town square to escape the crowds. The breathtaking views and architecture remained consistent all semester–I was always in awe of it! Although I am excited to be home and resume my regular life, Venice was a beautiful and unique place to get to live and I would choose it again if I had the chance!
School was consistently different than A&M and that was one thing that I never really got used to but instead had to adapt to the differences?which was a great lesson to learn! I only had classes three consecutive days a week each term. This was great for traveling and having full days to study when needed. My grades from each class that I took only consisted of a couple projects or small assignments, and one large final exam (no midterms). And, all of the exams that I took were written or oral and consisted of only 3 or 4 questions. This was very different than what I am used to, and it was a little difficult to gage what of the material to focus the most on. However, I finished the semester with great grades in all of my classes and the exams were never as difficult as I anticipated them to be. Despite its differences, Ca? Foscari is a great school and I learned so much from my professors. Because of Ca? Foscari?s global emphasis and the diversity of the students in my classes, I learned a lot about international marketing and business and am excited to bring what I learned back with me and apply it to my future classes and jobs.
Because of only having classes three days a week, I had the tremendous opportunity to travel more than I ever have in my life, and probably more than I will ever get to again. I visited 14 different places (including Venice) throughout Italy, France, Spain, and Greece. Traveling is so easy and cheap in Europe; I took full advantage of it. There are so many places to go in Europe, even just in Italy, and it was at times overwhelming deciding where to visit. I felt like the longer I was there, the larger my list of where I wanted to go grew as I learned of new places. Even though I travelled a majority of the weekends, there are still so many places I want to visit, and I know I will be itching to return and travel more soon. Although I learned a lot from my classes, I learned an immense amount from traveling too and I am so thankful for my opportunity to do so.
My four months in Italy were incredible. However, it was not fun and joyful the entire time and I did face challenges while there. I dealt with one theft situation, missed my family and friends a lot, and was constantly adapting to cultural differences. Each challenge was a great learning experience and the benefits of studying abroad definitely outweighed these challenges. I feel as though I am a more well-rounded person and have a much better understanding of the world and different cultures from my experiences. I also returned home with an increased sense of gratitude and pride for the United States and my life here. I feel so lucky to have many of the modern conveniences and program efficiencies that I used to not even notice (a clothes dryer and free water at restaurants just to begin the list). Studying abroad was an incredible experience that I will never forget, but I am so excited to be home and to get back to Texas A&M and Mays next semester (I?m also excited to say that I can now down a double espresso like a true Italian, which will definitely come in handy for late West Campus Library study nights next year). I am tremendously thankful for the opportunities that Mays and Texas A&M provide for students to study abroad, and the scholarship that I was immensely blessed to receive that made this semester possible for me.
