To be able to study abroad in Milan, Italy was truly a gift. Not only did I gain 13 new friends, but so many new experiences that will become core memories for the rest of my life. Through the class portion of this journey, I was able to see the process of manufacturing parts, and walk through the buildings in comparison to flipping a page or scrolling through a powerpoint. Being able to get hands on with the “material” we were learning about made it a lot easier to understand some of the concepts. The smaller class size allowed me to get so close to my professor and fellow students. In this particular group many of us were not antiquated, but we were all going through this new experience together so it didn’t end up feeling like we were alone. I will forever have a bond with the people I met on this trip because of so many things we shared in doing. One thing that we all had to get a hang of was catching the metro and trains. The day we left to go home, we had to catch the metro, train and our plane and this will always be a day to remember with three of my other classmates- hectic by memorable.

This experience taught me to take chances. If I were to sit there and look at what could all go wrong I wouldn’t have gotten on that plane and I wouldn’t have been able to see what all went right. It was scary at first in a new country where communication was sparse, but you truly do get a hang of it and you start to figure things out you never thought you would. I learned so much about myself and about the countries I visited. These experiences truly opened the door to being more adventurous and trying new things because if I never had I wouldn’t have the memories I have today.