Ciao!! My name is Kelly Duong, I?m a junior majoring in Supply Chain Management. I am currently living in Venice with 3 other Texas A&M girls and we are attending Ca? Foscari University. When we first arrived it was very hot, crowded, and the streets were extremely difficult to navigate. We also had trouble finding grocery stores, but we made it work and found most of the things we needed. Now, every time we see a decent sized grocery store, we?re in awe.
In Venice, there aren?t any actual roads, so you either walk, take a water taxi, or water-bus. Our campus is 30 minutes away from our flat, so we decided to walk instead because it takes the same amount of time as a water boat. At first, I dreaded walking to class, but over the past weeks I?ve grown to love it. Also, the food in Italy really does just consist of pizza, pasta, and gelato but I?m not sick of it yet!
It?s my third week here in Venice and it has definitely been a roller-coaster ride. We have come across a few rude Italians, but many of them are nice and welcoming. I didn?t realize the language barrier would be so significant, but it is. I?m slowly catching on to a few Italian phrases and words. My goal is to be able to converse with an Italian by the end of the semester.
School is extremely different here, but there is a lot of freedom I love it. You don?t receive an official schedule; you don?t need to register for any classes you just have to register to take the final exam for the course. Our current schedule for the first term is Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Second term we plan on having Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday courses so I?m looking forward to exploring the country more.
The weather here is slowly getting colder and colder. I?m not sure if I?m ready for the cold weather but I guess we?ll see. Venice is beautiful and there is always something I haven?t seen before. It still feels surreal that I?m abroad, but I?m finally all settled in and getting used to the start of the semester. Being abroad has already taught me so much about myself and I?m looking forward to the next 3 months.
