The Best Semester of my Life

I have been back at Santa Clara University for about four days now. However, it still feels strange to be back on campus because it has been so long since I was last here. This fall I was blessed with the amazing opportunity to study abroad in Florence, Italy.

I spent 3.5 months in Florence and fell in love with the city. The food, people, sites and shopping were all fantastic. I enjoyed being able to walk everywhere. Florence is the perfect size; not too small where you see the same face all the time, but not too big that is unmanageable to navigate. I walked everywhere in Florence and most other towns I visited in Europe, which allowed me to consume all of the different kinds of fabulous food that is found in Italy.

If anyone knows me well, they can tell you that I normally do not eat a lot and have a relatively small appetite. However, this was not the case in Italy. With all the walking I did and all the delicious food surrounding me, I indulged and ate my way through Italy. I love Italian food and took advantage of the fact that this food was available to me.

I miss several things about being in Italy. I miss the people I met, the food, being able to walk and see beautiful churches and monuments. At first adjusting back to life in American was difficult. I couldn't walk anywhere I wanted to go, I couldn't find amazing pasta/pizza, I couldn't be impressed by a new work of art everyday and I couldn't see all the fabulous friends I made. To be honest, I was a tab bit depressed at first. I had the time of my life in Florence and I did not want to leave. After awhile, I started to get used to life back in America. I rediscovered the awesome taste of Mexico food(which one can not find in Italy) and I got to reconnect with my friends and family.

Even though I still miss being in Italy and am eager to return one day, I am happy to be back at Santa Clara University. I will always look back on my study abroad experience and smile because, it was the best semester of my life. And I was truly thankful that my parents supported me and made my dream to study in a different country a reality.