La Dolce Vita
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain
I can’t remember how many times I told myself I would study abroad when I got to college. Then again there are many things we tell ourselves and then never follow through with them. Last spring, when I began to look into Study Abroad, it never occurred to me that I would actually go for it. Before I knew it, I had applied for a scholarship through
That brings me to now. In a little over a month, I will be boarding a plane to begin my spring semester in
I finally enrolled in my classes a couple weeks ago. As I reviewed my schedule I was thrilled to discover that I would only have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays! This left me with four-day-weekends for the entire semester. The possibilities were now endless. I could hop from country to country and enjoy all the wonders of Europe not only those of
The days I plan out in my head are far more romantic than those I know I will experience, but it never hurts to dream. I wake up in my quaint, historic apartment and get ready for the day. On my way to class I stop by my favorite coffee house and have an espresso and chat with the owners (whom I’ve become friends with.) I attend classes all day and then meet with friends for dinner at a local restaurant. On my off days, I get up for an early start and explore the city of
I realize however that these perfect visions may not ring true. There are bound to be situations, people, places that I face that will challenge me. This is part of the anxiety I feel, but also part of the excitement. I chose to embark on this trip to learn more about myself. It would help me to realize my strengths and my weaknesses. When I return home I hope that I can take this experience and apply what I’ve learned to facing the challenges that I will encounter when enter the job search. Knowing myself, and what I can and cannot handle will help me to realize what I’m best at and what I have the potential to excel at.
With all of those goals in mind, I’d like to turn to the real purpose of this article. I’m going to be writing as the semester unfolds in
To follow my trip more closely, you can check out my blog at http://nicinrome.blogspot.com. I will be updating this at least weekly along with posting photos and hopefully videos!
Arreviderci!
2 comments:
I love the fact that you're dreaming of a romantic Italy, but realistic enough to know it won't happen quite that way. I suspect you'll be open to what you actually experience then.
nic--i'll be following your experience, and will try to figure out how to respond....go with gusto!! jr
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