katie sue

Venice

Traveling with 6 girls across Europe is definitely a fun, unique experience. We kick off the trip by arriving in Venice with no plan and my friend chiming in going, “huh, now what”. A little chaotic, a little spontaneous is the theme for this trip and basically anytime we are all together. Side note: IContinue reading “Venice”

Bologna

My first day trip with the CET program. It was super stress free having plans and reservations made for you. This made the day in Bologna super smooth and enjoyable. We drove an hour and a half on a bus which wasn’t bad, most people just slept. Our group of friends decided to use theContinue reading “Bologna”

Madrid, Spain

My first trip to another country – Spain! This was Valentine’s Day weekend and what better way to spend the weekend than traveling with your 3 best friends? The trip started early Friday morning with catching a train from Florence to the Rome airport. As unnerving as it can be traveling to a place thatContinue reading “Madrid, Spain”

humans are humans, no matter where

The world is so big, with approx 7.7 billion people residing everywhere. The funny thing is, while every person is uniquely their own, every human’s instincts and emotions are similar. We are just raised in different environments. This is one of the most notable lessons I have learned in my journey abroad thus far. WhileContinue reading “humans are humans, no matter where”

a liberating new beginning

I can’t even explain how liberating it feels to go somewhere brand new and start over. This past year I felt suffocated by the world more than I ever have before. I don’t think anyone besides my roommates and my family knows the extent it got to. It felt that everywhere I went or anyoneContinue reading “a liberating new beginning”

Rome

I loved you more than I thought I would. The weekend started with Anna coming into Florence on Thursday night. We watched the sunset and caught up for a solid 3 hours before grabbing dinner. We got tipsy off of wine, and were laughing about how we have had more sleepovers in Italy than inContinue reading “Rome”

Cinque Terre

Our first weekend trip: Cinque Terre! The night before, my roommate and I stopped at our bar to get an espresso martini that fed into our exciting energy to pack and go to bed so we could wake up and go to the small town of Cinque Terre (which is actually made up of 5Continue reading “Cinque Terre”

21 21 21

Twenty-one. You read that right. My (real) ID finally reads that I am able to get in any bar I want to. For my 21st, irony played its own part. For the first time in my life, I celebrated a birthday in a country where turning 21 doesn’t have the amplitude it does in theContinue reading “21 21 21”

Ciao dall’italia

Florence means ‘to flourish’, which simply could not be more fitting for this experience. When I first made this category of posts, it felt casual. To be completely honest, the whole process of moving to Italy felt so casual. Too casual. I am the type of person who is so focused on living in theContinue reading “Ciao dall’italia”

practicing non-attachment

The art of non-attachment is allowing what comes to you, come and what leaves you, leave. When putting substantial importance on the things you do not have in your life, you block the ability to focus and enjoy what you have. Similarly, when placing expectations on people or situations, you simply try to control whatContinue reading “practicing non-attachment”