Making memories is an important part of studying abroad; they inform your life when your journey as a student is over and they stay with you to build the foundations for future memories. Most importantly they represent the decisions you’ve made, the risks you’ve taken, the people you’ve met and the friends you’ve made. All of the memories made on the JSB Program have become core memories and serve as the foundation of who I am today and every day.
Unfortunately, we cannot travel back in time. Instead, what we can do is bring the memories with us. Upon completion of our tenth week here in Italy I have learned a lot, but most importantly I have learned how to be present in a situation and absorb the beauty that surrounds me. I have learned that being present is undoubtedly the only way to enjoy life to the fullest. Being here in Italy, I have experienced a lifetime of unforgettable memories. I have endured in great conversations that matter to me, I have helped someone at their exact moment of need, I have spent lots of quality time with precious people, I have become immersed in a foreign country that now feels like home, I have made many international incidents, I have seen places that I thought only lived in my dreams, and for these memories, I am eternally grateful.
As we return home in just two short weeks, I am reminded that what I do today will go with me. I will carry my memories around like a suitcase, and it is up to me whether my suitcase is full of vibrant memories or of what could have been. The most important things in life are not things, but experiences and memories. We only get one life. There’s no reason to waste any time forgetting it.
~Caroline Dillard

Kaitlin, the friend that convinced me to study abroad with her in Italy, and I making memories in London on a weekend trip.