This semester has been quite the whirlwind. From first arriving in Ariccia, to every JSB field trip, to our independent weekend adventures, it has been truly amazing and such a unique learning experience. I have become much more independent, and have tried to absorb everything around me along the way.
My favorite adventures thus far have been our optional field trip to Positano with everyone and to Switzerland and France with my mom over fall break. I love the beach, so being able to go to Positano along the Amalfi Coast was awesome. This place is like a fairytale with its narrow and winding cobblestone walkways and its colorful buildings all set up on the hill. Anna Caitlyn and I were able to rent a small dingy one day, which was so worth the risk. Although we chartered a boat one morning, this dingy ride was exhilarating just cruising through the rough waters and getting up close and personal with the massive yachts and enormous cliffs.
Switzerland was one of the most breathtaking places I have ever seen. My mom and I traveled to St. Moritz, Zermatt and Lucerne. Zermatt was such a unique place because they don’t use cars, they only use these small gold carts as taxis to take people back and forth from the train station to their hotels. I went paragliding, much like renting the dingy in Positano, paragliding was a surreal experience. Running off a mountain and being lifted in the air was so nerve-racking, but once I sat back and relaxed in the air and just took in the scenery and the immensity of the Swiss Alps I realized how much world there is too see, and how small I really am. Twirling in the air and getting close to the mountain faces and trees was an incredible experience I will never forget.  Later, my mom and I hiked through the Alps and that experience was just as incredible, offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the slowly melting glaciers that may not be there 30 to 40 years from now.
Italy and Paris have given me a new and deeper appreciation for fashion. My mom and I took a train to Paris after our adventures in Switzerland, where we focused our experience more on the food and fashion culture than exploring the museums. We took a fashion tour and walked around the old Jewish district of Paris. The tour guide explained how Parisian style works, and how girls, and boys never buy an entire outfit from just one store because that is “boring.” Instead, they go to vintage shops, consignment stores, and other clothing stores to create a unique look of their own. Parisian style is making simple outfits stand out by adding an amazing bag, jewelry, scarf or shoes.
Although some adventures were thrill seeking, others were informative and gave me an insight to Parisian and Italian fashion. This semester has given me more of an appreciation for fashion in general because online shopping isn’t everything, and you should go out and explore the stores.  Even if I am not going to buy anything, going into certain stores in Paris and Rome really should be about the experience and being able to see the art of visual merchandising in a couple of the fashion capitals of the world.
Ciao,
Brigid Hans