This Thanksgiving I'm Thankful for CIMBA!

This Thanksgiving I’m very, very grateful for the CIMBA study abroad program and all of the magnificent opportunities it has offered me throughout the entire semester. I have grown so much as a person in just these few short months being abroad in Italy. I’ve had the opportunity to meet people from all over Europe while traveling, yet I’ve also made many new life-long friendships with my classmates from all throughout the United States. At the beginning of the semester there were definitely times in which I missed my family and home back in the states, but as time went on I realized a had an entirely new family of 76 amazing people supporting me in my new home of Paderno del Grappa.

Every Fall Semester, the CIMBA Cafeteria staff cooks a full, delicious, Thanksgiving Dinner, since for many of us it is our first time being away from home for the holiday. They always serve the dinner a few nights before we all embark on our travels for Thanksgiving Break, and lucky for us, tonight was that night!

It was truly an amazing dinner that I know each and everyone of the students genuinely enjoyed. The faculty and staff are also welcomed to come to the dinner and join us for a relaxing evening full of laughter and great food. They set it up buffet style with plates piled high with all the classic American holiday foods. There’s hearty cornbread with cranberry sauce, peas, caramelized potatoes, corn, warm stuffing, mashed potatoes, and freshly roasted turkey. They even top it off with a fresh baked pumpkin pie! It’s a meal that is guaranteed to hit the spot and students look forward to it the whole semester.

As Thanksgiving and the holiday season begins to near, I have definitely realized just how thankful I am for being given the opportunity to study abroad by my parents and university. I’ve met some of my closest friends while being on this trip, traveled throughout all of Europe, and had the privilege to experience once in a lifetime cultural events. This program really allows you to push yourself out of your comfort zone and find out who you truly are. The only way to make this experience any better would be if I was able to do it all over again!