Building Excitement

Ciao amici! These next three weeks are going to be amazing, and I’m so excited to be blogging the experience.

I love travelling, and studying abroad has always been something I’ve wanted to do. As soon as my junior year began, I started planning for the summer, and began to research various programs. It was through my school’s student services that I first heard about CIEE, and I was immediately interested. After attending an interest meeting and learning about all the amazing destinations, my decision to apply was solidified.

Deciding which program to apply for was difficult. CIEE has such a large variety of incredible programs--I wanted to do them all! Ultimately, I decided on Exploring Rome Through the Arts. Art has always been a passion of mine, both making and just appreciating it. Additionally, history is one of my favorite subjects, and Rome is full of it.

For me, the thing I’m most excited about is meeting everyone else on my program. I’ve asked several CIEE alumni about their experience, and while they all attended different programs, the one thing they’ve all mentioned is how amazing their fellow participants were. I’m also super excited to learn about an entirely new culture, but scared at the same time. I’ve never spoken Italian in my life, and while I’ve been learning common phrases in anticipation of the trip, I’m still a complete novice. Hopefully, by the end of these three weeks, I’ll be able to manage a simple conversation.

I’ve been anticipating this trip for so long, I can hardly believe we’re so close now. I’ve watched the countdown app on my phone go from over a hundred to now, only one day before we leave. I’m so excited, and so incredibly grateful for this opportunity!