As week five is coming to a close here in Italy, I can’t help but get in my feels. It seems like yesterday I was headed to airport completely unsure of what I was getting myself into. I did not know a single soul coming on this trip, which made me nervous but also excited at the same time. From the start of orientation week with the cheesy ice breaker activities, we all clicked. Everyone gets along so well because we thrive off of each other’s different personalities. Our group is so diverse in many aspects; including majors, backgrounds, and interests. It is so refreshing to be surrounded by people with such open minds and hearts.
This group has helped push me out of my comfort zone and encourage me to soak in everything. It’s the little things like staying up too late talking in the kitchen or frantically packing the night before a big adventure we have planned for the weekend, that really remind me how lucky I am to be spending an entire summer with these amazing people. It is absolutely crazy to think that I hadn’t known any of the them before coming to Italy, and now we are a “Chigi” family! This past weekend we all had the most amazing opportunity to travel to Positano has a whole and it couldn’t have been more fun. It was the perfect time to relax and unwind without the stress of school, and be in an element that everyone felt they could be themselves in . Yes, we spend every night together at the palace; but something about being near the ocean seeing the most incredible views made it easy for everyone to get in their feels.
First picture we took as a group at the Chigi Palace!
The past five weeks have given us no choice but to become best friends. Through the highs and (very few) lows of being abroad for an entire summer, these people have made it one to remember. Living with these twenty incredible people has been an experience I will cherish forever and I can not wait to take on the rest of the adventures this summer holds for us.
Ciao Bellas!
-Olivia Costanza