Ciaoooo,

My time in Florence is coming to a bittersweet end.  It has been one awesome semester, filled with traveling and new experiences.  I fell in love with Florence just like everyone said I would.  I adjusted to the different, but always interesting and fun, Italian culture.  I made tons of new friends and have one of the best times of my life.  I had the most amazing time here, and I can't wait to come back to Florence one day.  It has honestly been life-changing, and I can't even begin to describe it.  It has made me feel so much more independent and I know that one day I'll be able to successfully live on my own after doing it for four months in a different country.  I have also learned to cook a little better.  A lot of studying abroad deals with different cultures and interactions that aren't always familiar to me.  Italian culture is much more slow-moving than American culture, and that was a big adjustment.  When things went wrong, I had to learn to just accept them and let them happen, and stop worrying as much.  I learned to take life as it comes.

I met so many great people, looking to expand their horizons just like I was.  They were all amazing, and I will miss all my friends, but I'm sure I will see my Penn State friends very often.  I loved the experience of a smaller city school compared to Penn State, which is in the middle of nowhere, but absolutely huge.  I enjoyed the different atmosphere.  I loved being in a city and I will definitely consider living in a city after I graduate.

I loved so much about Florence.  Although I'm not an expert in art and architecture, I enjoyed all of it.  I  have so much more respect now for all the Renaissance history here in Florence, and it was awesome to learn about it in my Story of the City class.  The food was the BEST food I will ever have in my life.  I was blown away by the pasta, steak, and of course, pizza.  I think I will miss the pizza the most, just had my last Gustapizza tonight. :(  Florence is a beautiful city and I loved living here.  Of course there's some things I won't miss, such as the ambulance sirens, men staring, and mosquitoes, but the pros outweight the cons by 1000000%.

I enjoyed traveling a lot.  I traveled to: Interlaken, Rome, Barcelona, Paris, Pisa, Lucca, Siena, San Gimignano, Venice, Capri, Pompeii, and the Amalfi Coast.  I had a great time in all of my trips, but my two favorites were the Amalfi Coast and Interlaken.  I was a little burnt out after spring break and all my travels before, so I didn't do as much traveling the second half of the semester.  I enjoyed Florence, and did a lot of day trips around Italy.  I liked Italy so much and I will be back one day.  After all, I threw the penny over my right shoulder in Rome... so that means I'll be back.

This has been one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I think that will continue with me throughout my life.  I will always remember what I've learned here, and how it has been a life-changing experience.  Just yesterday it feels like I was moving into my apartment, and now I'm moving out.  I had a great night last night with all of the friends I met, and at our farewell reception we were able to say goodbye to all of the wonderful faculty and teachers.  Our soccer team was recognized at the reception, and it was a good time.  Today, we shopped for souvenirs, ate at the best restaurant and best pizza place, grabbed gelato, and relaxed in the Boboli gardens: all the things I'm really going to miss in Florence.  I'm really excited to be home at this point and see all my friends and family.  But I can't help but feel a little sad to be leaving Florence, and I know I will miss it.  Time really flies when you're having fun; as corny as that is.

Arrivederci Firenze,
Katie

Back to the USA I go <3