The one-week countdown to Italy is on. I am dreaming of the pepperoni pizza I will eat, walks I will take on the cobble stone streets, and the lovely people I will meet. Ok…enough with dreaming and rhyming…it’s time to pack and prepare.

It’s currently finals week for me at the University of Iowa and only twelve days before I leave for Italy. Between studying and spending time with friends, I’ve been anxiously preparing and thinking about my time in Italy. I am beyond excited about my experience abroad, but I definitely have a few nerves going into it.

Now that I have made it back home and am settled in, I would like to write my final reflections of this whole study abroad experience.

I am here to be honest about money to give you all a good idea of how much this program costs and how you could go about paying for your study abroad experience. One reason why many people back at my university choose to not study abroad is because the cost is so high. I agree with that it’s a lot of money, but beyond worth it. Here is how I financed my trip.

Students here aren’t known for their planning or time management abilities. That’s why I’d like to inform you on what not to do as well how you can be a better traveler than the Spring 2022 CIMBA group. Don’t get me wrong, we know how to have a good time. It’s just getting to our destination in first place that is the problem.

If you are thinking about studying in Paderno del Grappa you may be wondering what is there to do in this town that you have never heard of before. Most students leave almost every weekend, but at least once or twice one is bound to stay in PDG. I am here to tell you what one can do when staying back in this quaint village, whether it be a weekday or a weekend.

Choosing to study abroad is a commitment that requires an open and intelligent mind. The point of a study abroad program is to get a whole different feel for the world by gaining cultural intelligence while testing your academic intelligence.

One of the biggest challenges here at CIMBA is balancing school life with fun and travel. People travel basically every weekend or if people stay in PDG (Paderno del Grappa) they travel to local towns nearby. You will not do homework on the weekends! Do not think that you will, if anything the most I have done on the weekends is during the train ride to wherever we decided to go.

My biggest accomplishment is living three different lives in Italy, one more than Hannah Montana. The students at Paderno have two different class schedules: A-Days on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and B-Days on Tuesday and Thursday. The third life, you ask? Well, that’s whatever happens traveling on the weekends.

Venice is a must see and should be at the top of your list. This was my first trip and the whole CIMBA group went. It’s close enough to Paderno del Grappa to feel comfortable, but at the same time a whole different world. Florence was also amazing. It had more to offer than Venice, so it was a good third trip. I also highly recommend going there.

The first weekend in Italy blew any expectations I had out of the water. As we stepped onto the bus to travel to a local town called Bassano Del Grappa, the aura of excitement in the air washed over the group departing from campus. We headed to the train station, where we were parted separate ways and would not see one another for the rest of the weekend.

It now has been five days since arriving in Paderno del Grappa, Italy. I have already experienced and learned so much. Now that I know some do’s and don’ts of what to pack as well as how to better prepare I have some very important advice to share with any future CIMBA students who may be reading this blog.

Not only have I been traveling around the United States these past two weeks, but I will be flying to Italy in four days to gain cultural experience while pursuing my college degree. Traveling consists of many factors: weather, political and social culture, destination’s customs and beliefs, but currently, the most significant factor is the pandemic.

It’s Friday, January 7th and I have exactly nine days before leaving on my first flight next Sunday. Some things I have been doing to prepare include a lot of shopping on Amazon and taking advantage of post-Christmas sales, spending lots of time with friends and family, trip planning, and making a vision board.

You may be concerned to land in a continent with peers you may not know. That is valid! However, I would not waste one second worrying about not making friends at CIMBA. I was lucky enough to have five of my sorority sisters join me on this excursion, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

You may be wondering: What exactly does a week in the life of a study abroad student look life? Well, I am glad you asked!

Ciao to all from across the pond. I have been on the Istituti Filippin campus for just over a week now and still feel as if I am seeing things for the first time. Our campus is nestled in the quaint town of Paderno del Grappa, Italy.

Coronavirus – it’s a hot topic these days and reasonably so. Hardly anybody knew what it was or that it even existed just a few weeks ago. Then it started to spread to South Korea, Japan, and of course Italy.

From mountains to beaches, Italy offers so many breathtaking sights to see! I had the amazing opportunity to spend my first day of March 2020 in Catania, Sicily. It was definitely an unforgettable trip especially since it was the last trip I was able to take during my stay in Italy, but that’s a topic for another blog!

Deciding to study abroad is a complicated and difficult decision. Leaving all of your family and friends behind (unless some of your friends decide to join you) is not an easy choice to make.

I never get tired of the breathtaking mountain view. Every morning, when I open my curtains, I take in the landscape, and every single time, it still amazes me. This past weekend, I decided to wander aimlessly throughout the nearby cities, and no words can convey the level of serenity and content I felt during that time.

Before leaving the United States, I flooded Google with searches like “study abroad tips”, “affording study abroad”, “how to pack for study abroad”, “must-see places in Europe” and anything else that could help me prepare. Is there any possible way to be 100% prepared?

Three weeks into my time in Italy and there’s already so much to talk about! But first, I’d like to give an update on a few of the goals I mentioned in my previous blog. One of my personal goals had been to appreciate the outdoors more often and I must say, in Italy that was hardly a challenge.

My first two weeks in Italy have been a whirlwind. My first few days of classes went by quickly and soon it was time for LIFE. I have gone through various leadership and development programs before, and I expected LIFE to be similar except with more technology and monitoring involved. I have never been more wrong.

Anticipating moving to Paderno came with many preconceived notions about what I was getting myself into. Nothing screams discomfort like moving to a foreign country with a bunch of strangers. I was clueless as to what my adaptation process would look like, and although I knew studying abroad was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down, I honestly felt more fear than excitement.

Ciao! My name is Maisie, and I am so excited to be blogging for CIMBA for the Spring 2020 semester. I am currently a junior enrolled at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

As a loyal and dedicated introvert, I grew up with either my nose buried in a book or a pen in my hand. And yes, I mean pen not keyboard. I’m old fashioned like that sometimes, but don’t get me wrong, my laptop is third only to my family and my phone. Now to introduce myself, my name is Allyssa Gutierrez and I will be keeping up with this blog for the next several months while I study abroad in Italy!

Ciao! I am Walter Buck, a finance junior from Christopher Newport University. In just a few days, I will leave Virginia and travel to CIMBA. I am beyond excited! I had never even considering study abroad anywhere until this past semester. I certainly never heard of CIMBA.

Hello everyone, it’s Hannah and I am back with my final blog to talk to you about my CIMBA experience. The past three months have been a whirlwind of the best experiences of my life. Every single day was a new experience, a new feeling, and a new sense of understanding.

As I sit in the airport ready to board my flight home, it is finally hitting me what I’ve just accomplished. Studying abroad through CIMBA was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Hello everyone, it’s Hannah and I am back with another blog to talk to you guys about CIMBA classes. Coming over the campus, I was not entirely sure how classes were going to go.

As I write this, I am listening to a neighboring tenant slap their rug against their windowsill to remove the dirt and dust, watching the steam billow out of my coffee mug, and welcoming the hint of coffee in my breakfast tiramisu.

Hello everyone, it’s Hannah and I am back with another blog to talk to you guys about travel planning! Out of all the students in my program this semester, I have traveled to the most countries. Whoo! By the end of the semester, I will have been to 10 countries!

Hello everyone, it’s Hannah and I am back with another blog to talk to you guys about my daily life at CIMBA. Even though we’ve already been going for 6 weeks, I still feel like every day holds something different.

Prior to being here, I had so many questions about what CIMBA was like, specifically what past students thought about the campus and travel opportunities. Here are some major points to consider before deciding on a study abroad program.

Hello everyone, it’s Hannah and I am back with another blog to talk to you guys about homesickness. Homesickness is something that, until traveling abroad, I had not ever felt.

This has been my favorite CIMBA activity thus far. Since we share the campus with a local boarding school, we are able to meet students and learn some Italian. One of the events that brings us closer is Add a Seat.

My mornings start differently than most students here at CIMBA because I don’t wake up to eat breakfast at the time it’s provided – 8 am. Instead, I make my way to the local cafe next to campus where you can purchase delicious, handmade pastries when you conveniently “miss” breakfast.

Financing your study abroad – it’s a big task! When I was first figuring out where I wanted to study abroad, finances were definitely a huge factor in my decision.

Hello everyone! My name is Hannah Rowedder and I am a junior at the University of Iowa studying Marketing & Business Analytics with a certificate in Leadership studies. I am from a small town in Iowa called Carroll. I am so beyond excited to be heading to the CIMBA campus and experiencing Italy for 12 weeks.

Ciao! I’m Abbey Wilson from the University of Iowa, studying Marketing and Event Management, and I decided to go abroad on a whim with my friend, Hannah Row!