People always tell you about how great studying aboard is and how much it can change your life.  However, students forget to tell you with all the fun you have having there are tough times as well.  Adjusting to living with “strangers” and learning a new culture is hard, and you realize quickly you will never be fully prepared before you enter that strange environment.  Starting this experience, I couldn’t believe how quickly time was flying by.  It came to the point that I wanted it to slow down just so I didn’t feel as if I were wishing away my time in Italy.  Before I knew it my parents were about to be here and the program was already half over.
This week was one of the first times I’ve felt we have actually gotten to see how a native Italian family lives.  Over the past couple of weeks, we have traveled to different places learning about the Italian culture and the traditions that have made them who they are today.  This week was no different.
Yesterday, we traveled to Rome to visit the Sistine Chapel and the Moses, a few of the many pieces by Michelangelo.  Coming from a Catholic background, I enjoy learning the roots to my religion.  After visiting the Sistine Chapel, I did not know what to think.  It was overwhelming and much different than anything I could have imagined.  At every turn, I saw something new.  But, my favorite part of the day was going to one of our professor’s homes in Rome to enjoy a relaxing evening and getting to know our abroad family even better.  This program is one of the best decisions I’ve made, but we constantly go, go, go. So, taking the time to just sit down and enjoy the company of each other and having a real Italian aperitivo experience was a night that I will always remember.
Ciao,
Holly Paucke

Some of the delicious food at the aperitivo hosted by one of our Italian professors