Abby Andrews – Italy Blog

These last 4 months have been some of the best and worsts of my life. The worst parts have been, stressing out over midterms, being away from my family, missing my friends, not being able to understand my teaches, etc. The hardest thing I have ever experienced is being put in a new country and completely new culture and have to just figure out how to live life on my own. To be honest, I feel like I may have grown up a little bit spoiled, that maybe why I was so shocked when I got here because I didn’t know how to cook or even how to do laundry. That leads me into the point where this was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I have learned so much about myself and how to take care of myself. I now know how to cook chicken, steak, veggies, etc. I know how to do laundry. Some of my favorite moments here have been going to Croatia, trying all the new types of pasta, visiting all the local churches in Rome, and meeting people that I now call my family. Although, I really did not like the curriculum at AUR, I feel like there was a lot of good that came out of all of my struggling. I know what I need to do in order to excel at Charleston. Right now (before midterms) I have a 3.1 GPA which to me is pretty good considering in high school I had no where close to that. Overall this experience was the epitome of a rollercoaster.

The College of Charleston has a lot of resources that help students out. There are some that are for safety or for student help. The ones I am going to utilize the most are the Center for Disabilities and Public Safety. It is really cool to me that if I ever got locked out of my dorm or felt like I was in any kind of danger, someone would be right there to walk me home or to let me into my dorm. Sadly, it is very scary for women to walk home alone at night or even in the day so it is nice knowing I will have someone to protect me if I need it. Secondly, the Center for Disabilities is going to be a great tool for me. I have the opportunity for extra time on exams and quizzes so that will be a good resource for me to take advantage of. Also other centers that will help me are the math help center and the writing desk center. This will be really beneficial for me to help keep me focused.

This picture is from when I spent Fall Break in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Liz, Sally, Thomas, and I rented out a boat so that we could go cave diving. This was by far the best weekend I have spend here in my time in Rome. The water in Dubrovnik is insanely crystal blue as you can see. The weather was almost perfect the whole time we were there. It was a little cold the first few days but after that it warmed up a lot. This picture actually means a lot to me because this day I was frustrated with everyone because this tour we booked was not going the way we all wanted it to go. They brought us to a deserted island (which honestly freaked me out). I mean there was literally one worker on this island and he was the chef, bartender, host, beach chair boy, waiter, etc. After that we went back on the boat and ended up riding around for 30 minutes or so which was the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. Lastly, we went cave diving which was by far the coolest thing I have ever done. What I learned was, Good things come with time and patients.

Thinking about having a job is very daunting to me, to be honest. I have never had one (other than babysitting) and never want to get one. Only because you are only young once and I am trying to live my years to the fullest before life starts to get real interesting. I am going into college completely undecided. I think this will be the best way to test the waters and figure out what I am truly passionate about. Although, when I was a little girl my dream job was to be a wedding dress designer. Im not sure why this has always popped into my head when I think of “Dream Job” but it does. One major I am serious about maybe pursuing is International Business. I’m not 100% positive what all this includes but my dad has said countless times that it is something I should look into. 

The academics are said to be a lot harder at the College of Charleston than here at the American University of Rome. At AUR, it is very hard because of the language barrier. I honestly think I would be doing better at C of C than I am doing here. Although, as of right now I have good grades, I feel like I have the ability to be doing a lot better. It is hard to understand everything my professors say considering they have a thick accent. I think this has prepared me a lot to really excel at the College of Charleston. I feel a lot more prepared because here I have learned that there are very minimal grades and when there are grades, I really need to focus on them. I have also learned how I need study. I need to have really neat notes while studying in a quiet room with piano music in the background. I think I am ready for the College. And I really hope to be there in January.

This is the delicious lasagna from Mimi & Coco. Not only did I clear my plate but I think I could eat this lasagna for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy. I got to spend the evening with one of my dear friends, Julia. We laughed the night away talking about childhood memories. We looked back on this decade as it is almost coming to a close. I love how I can relate to someone just by talking about a tv show we both used to watch when we were young. After this meal we walked through the piazza… Which I must say, the Christmas lights are stunning. This dinner with Julia was impactful because I learned that even though time is running out, it is never too late to either start or grow a relationship. But seriously, BEST LASAGNA EVER!

During the last 3 months I have been here, I’ve learned that “life is a roller coaster” is the truest statement ever said. I have made the best memories with some of the most incredible people I have ever met. I have gotten to travel all around the world with people that I now consider family. These last few weeks have been some of the best and hardest I have ever been through. School here is not easy and it does put a lot of stress on me having to worry about getting into college everyday. But one thing I have learned about myself is, sitting in my room stressing out does not make the stress any better! I feel like that is such an easy concept to already know, but that is all I am used to doing and I am finally changing it. I have learned a lot of things about myself but mostly, I adore my parents. I knew I loved and adored my parents before I got here but I had no idea that my love could just grow even more. I have realized that I am grateful for American food, for my car, and for the long country fields I live on.

I am probably the worst public speaker known to man. My voice starts to shake, I start to shake, my face gets red, and worst of all, I start sweating like a pig! I hate public speaking, and I can’t ever see myself enjoying doing it. I think my strongest suits academically are my note-taking and having a pretty good photographic memory. Looking back on high school, I tried to get away with just looking at my notes once and then going into the test, thinking I’m going to be able to see it all. I take good notes that work for me. I use different color pens, highlighters, etc. My notes have to be very neat, or I can’t remember them. One thing I am awful at doing and just have not been able to wrap my head around is how to write a paper. I am horrible at delivering my points and views. Although, I know it just takes practice. The people at AUR who read over my papers and help me revise it are the best.

This is a photo of caprese salad. It is a mixture of tomato slices, fresh mozzarella, and basil (sometimes with olive oil drizzled on top). This is my favorite appetizer along with bruschetta. The tomatoes and mozzarella is so fresh here and is always in season, it could never be bad! I could go on and on about the food.. but a little back story on the night might be better. My parents came to Rome on the 14th of October. They stayed in Rome for a few days and then they started on their Great European Road Trip! They came back to Rome on the 2nd so I got to hangout with them a little before they would eventually leave on the 4th. Before they left, they took me and my best friend, AnnaKate – who studies in Florence, out to dinner as a farewell. This is where I got this insanely good caprese salad. By looking at this picture, I reminisce on the times I spent surrounded by the love of my parents and best friend. Not only does this picture show the quality of the new iPhone camera, but also makes an unforgettable memory.

This semester abroad has put a lot in prospective and has made me challenge myself more than I ever thought I would. I do have a lot of goals for this semester and this year. One personal goal of mine would be to grow as a person and to expand my horizons. I do not like to be normal or to be set on doing the same things over and over. I love to branch out and I am hoping being in Italy will help me do that. One academic goal I have is obviously to get into Charleston. If I have to be completely honest with myself, this abroad semester is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I think the most stressful thing is having teachers that don’t speak the best English. Another personal goal I have is to have these people as life long friends. I really do love everyone here and I have hopes that us being here together helps us grow bonds that will last forever. My last academic goal is to learn how to really buckle down and focus. I need to learn that I can’t start studying the night before, I need weeks of preparation. For me, I think these goals will be easy to accomplish.