The Study Abroad Halfway Point: Bring on the Grunge
Written by Alicia March 8, 2016
Took a day trip to the bright Vicenza!
To preserve the open air Roman theater, an entire building was build around it! There were over a hundred statues inside!
I finally got to experience the Crespano Market! Fresh meat, cheese, fruit, vegetables, baked goods, clothes, and so much more.
In case the market wasn't cool enough by itself.
Filled with locals and open air
Over 100 statues within the theater!
Incredibly detailed! I would be far too distracted by the walls and set to ever pay attention to the show!
Stopped for an espresso along the way.
I was reminded that study abroad is not all fun and games this week as midterms have arrived. 4 presentations- 2 long and 2 short – and a good old fashioned exam to finish off this Friday (and my schedule is by no means the hardest!). So what am I doing with all of my free time? Why, preparing for a 10-day adventure of course!
That’s right, spring break is almost upon us, signaling the halfway mark of our semester. This fact is truly unbelievable. I feel that I can’t possible have been here for over a month! Except I have. I’ve been to 3 countries and numerous cities and struggled to order coffee in a multitude of languages. More than a month! Whew.
Before I get too ahead of myself, I’d like to spend a little bit of time talking about my highly anticipated 10-day, 4-country trip. Or as I have been referring to it as the ”90’s fashion makes a comeback tour.”
In retrospect, I probably should have invested in a real travel backpack but as they say – no pain no gain! And, regardless, the challenge itself will be exciting. 4 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, a scarf, and pajamas (Hey, it’s still a pretty big backpack!) So: 4 sets of clothes for 10 days… I wasn’t kidding about the grunge!
Aside from traveling with a dirty hamper with straps, I’ll also be with 4 other people, 4 other backpacks, and 5 plane flights.
Figuring out the logistics of this trip was an adventure in itself! Coordinating flights and hostels in countries where I don’t speak the language of was difficult when it was 2 days and 1 location, now we have a handful of both. The “planning” night mostly consisted of the 5 us locked in a room for hours, 1 spreadsheet, 1 calendar, some cookies, and a lot a late-night-loss-of-sleep laughing. All of which I have interpreted as meaning that I definitely picked a good group to be trapped with for a week and a half!
Now there are the more complex choices of: where to store my spare passport copy and flight papers, how much money should I carry, do I need snacks?!?! It’s all oddly reminiscent of the packing I did to move to Italy, but 1/6 of the scale. One other thing that is startlingly familiar? The nervous excitement of knowing that soon I’ll be in places I have never before. Sights I’ve never seen, languages I don’t know, food I’ve never tried. The only difference is that, this time, I get to do it with friends.
Wish me luck and I’ll see you after spring break!
Arrivederci!
Ali
Blogger: Alicia, Western Michigan University
