Great Expectations.

I am sooo excited to leave for Italy in a few more days.  I can't believe that it is already here.  It has always been a dream of mine to travel to Italy because most of my family is from there and many of them still live there today.  Unfortunately, I will not have the time to travel and visit family, but it will be nice to learn a little more about the culture and language.  My grandparents are straight from Italy.  They have lived here for around 50 years now but they grew up in Italy.  They have taught me a lot about the culture and food, so it will be nice to actually experience it and see the places that they have talked about for so many years. For example, the Vatican is something they always talked about and that's one of the places I am going to visit while we are in Rome!  That should be an amazing adventure!  That's only one of the many places in Italy we will be exploring!  One thing that will be tricky is the language barrier.  Unfortunately, I do not know any Italian. Even though my grandparents and my Dad know fluent Italian, I do not know any!!  I can say "Bonjourno" and "mange".  That's pretty much the extent of my Italian.  I am really hoping that I will learn more of the basics when I am in Italy! I am really looking forward to exploring every aspect of Italy and its culture!

~Jonathon

Studying abroad in Italy is a dream I've always had, and I'm so thankful I'm getting the chance to experience the culture.  I am half Italian, however my dad's side of the family is full Italian.  In fact, many of my grandpa's brothers and sisters were born in Italy and my grandma's cousin are still living in Italy to this day.  Hearing about the Italian culture throughout my life has always been so fascinating and it seems like people take time to really enjoy life, and they're not always on the go as we are here in the United States.  Experiencing the culture first hand will truly be a blessing and exploring all of Italy that I can will be an adventure!

~Angela

Italy, Italy, Italy. It has been my dream to go to Italy since I was a little girl and first heard of the floating city of Venice. In the past year I've taken 6 credits of Italian language and culture, and have learned SO MUCH! The language is so beautiful, and my favorite part of the culture is (predictably) the food. I've learned of the Italian preference for dubbed American movies, and their crazy driving habits. It has been an exciting two semesters, and this study abroad experience is bound to be the capstone to my forage in Italian culture.

~Ashley

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get the chance to spend an entire month in Italy!  Of all the traveling I've done with my family, I always dreamed of the chance to go to Italy and see Venice, the City on Water; and explore Rome, home to the Vatican.  It is going to be a truly amazing experience.  What further fueled my desire to see Italy is the fact that my fiance is half Italian.  His father's side of the family are 100% Italian and many of them were actually born and raised in Italy.  I'm so excited that I'm going to experience the country that they came from and get to know more about them.  In preparation for my trip, Jon and I went shopping to find "European-esque" clothing and I've been using a language program on CD to try and get a jump start on learning Italian.  (I'm getting pretty good!)  I'm greatly anticipating this trip and the amazing experience I'm going to take away from it.  I have no doubt this trip is going to be life-changing!

~Jenna


I am very excited to go to Italy. I have never been out of the United States before and I am a bit nervous. WIth only two days remaining I want to make sure I have everything I need. I am sad to leave my friends, family and boyfriend for a month but I know they will be here when I return ready with open arms. I do not know one ounce of Italian but I am very eager to learn a new language. I am also alittle apprehensive of how I am going to manage my money over there. I want the flight to run smoothly and hope we all stay healthy and happy over in Italy.
~Amanda