SAI caught up with student Ambassador Sara, who answered a Q&A about her time in Florence.  

My friends and I got pizza the first weekend we were in Florence and hiked the Piazzale Michelangelo to watch the sunset

What is your favorite memory from studying abroad?

My favorite memory is from the day I spent with my friends in Positano. We were so exhausted from a long bus ride and slept for only two hours. But, once we got going the next day, we had the most relaxing time on the black sand beaches. We all got a variety of seafood dishes and feasted after we tried, and failed, to take Instagram worthy pictures in the water. It was such a fun day that we ended it with limone gelato that was absolutely delicious.

 I got to check hiking Mount Vesuvius off my bucket list!

What was your favorite thing to do in your host city?

Getting that touristy picture in Pisa is a lot more work that you think!

I loved wandering around Florence before my afternoon class started. I would go to the Sant’Ambrogio market to get fresh fruit, and then I would take a different way home so that I could discover new streets and see the art that covered the city. I got to know the city so well by just taking new streets that I found so many amazing restaurants that were off the beaten path. Walking everywhere was so much fun because the city center was so small that only walking for twenty minutes could take you somewhere you had never been. Exploring on my own made me feel like such an independent traveler, and I discovered so many new things to share with my friends.

I hiked through Krka National Park in Croatia and saw this beautiful waterfall

What does your study abroad experience mean to you?

My study abroad experience proved to me that I was capable of living in another country for an extended amount of time on my own. It helped me to grow as a person in a way that I was able to plan my weeks and travels better, and it taught me how to adapt when I thought I was lost or if I was worried about learning to use the trains. I never thought I would go to places like Croatia or Pompeii, and I saw works of art that I thought I would only experience through a text book. Studying abroad proved to me that I can go, see, and experience anything that I want to, traveling does not have to be a scary or worrisome experience!

This was my last night in Florence with my best friends, I am so thankful I met them through SAI!

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Sara was a summer 2018 SAI Florence student from the University of Georgia.