Caroline Potts

On Christmas Day, I always get a little bit sad that the season is ending. I adore all the music, decorations, food, and festivities Christmastime brings, and I am one of those people who never want it to end.

Last week, my friends and I went to Bassano a couple of days ago and asked for a table at a restaurant. “We can get you a table,” the hostess responded. “But only for three hours. Is that okay?”

I am going to miss so many things about Europe when I leave to go back to the States. I will be reminiscing on the memories I have made here for years to come, constantly picturing the sights, the cities, the art, and the nature I have gotten to experience.

When I was little, I was a bit of a hoarder. I took great pride in my button and quarter collections and would quickly grow quite attached to birthday cards, bracelets I had overgrown, and Happy Meal toys.

The first travel weekend has come and gone here at CIMBA, and I spent my four-day break in Austria. After a one-hour plane ride with magnificent views over the Swiss Alps (at least, that’s what my friends claim…I unfortunately slept through the entire flight), a group of us landed in Vienna, Austria.

A little over a week ago, I climbed down the charter bus’s steps and onto CIMBA’s campus, dragging my jam-packed suitcases across the cobblestone street of Paderno del Grappa. It’s good I didn’t fall on my face as I entered the classroom building because my gaze was set on the breathtaking mountains towering above the town, kissing the clouds that littered the baby-blue sky.

Ciao! My name is Caroline Potts, and I am a sophomore studying English and Business Management at the University of Iowa. College at Iowa has been the best experience I could have asked for, but I am really looking forward to studying abroad in Italy this coming semester and being a blog ambassador for CIMBA!