The first picture the whole JSB group took together on the grand tour of Rome.
By: Ali McIlhenny
Before we arrived in Ariccia, we had to write about a few things we were worried about for our Journal assignment. As I sat at my desk in my room thinking about what these next three months entailed, floods of worries began to enter my mind. I worried about the amount of money I was about to spend, the community in Auburn that I was leaving and the community I was about to enter. But most of all, I worried about missing out on being a part of the everyday lives of my friends and family.
Most of those worries slipped away the moment that I got here and began living the fast paced life of a study abroad student. What replaced those worries were learning opportunities and excitement for new adventures. I still get a little sick to my stomach when I have to buy a plane ticket or pay for overly priced meals, but I am learning so much about the value of money.  Money is not meant to sit in our bank account never to be used. Quality spending has become one of the biggest lessons I have learned. My community worries went away when I started to get to know and grow with the other 17 students here. We could not have been blessed with a more wonderful group. I love each and every one of these people and they have become my community. Living and sharing just about everything with them has taught me about humility, selflessness and unconditional love. These past five weeks have been a time of growth and I am so grateful for that. I am filled with unending excitement that I get to spend six more weeks traveling with people whom I can only become fonder of.
I am not exactly sure as a communications major what I want to do one day as a profession, but I know that I want to love people well. My worries have turned into learned lessons and opportunities for growth. Studying abroad has opened my eyes to a whole new world and I am always going to be thankful that I did it.