It is now towards the end of my time abroad and it truly makes me sad. I think of how close I am with my friends here and that we only have a few weeks left together. Most of us don’t go to the same school and are not in the same states, which means it will be a hard time to see one another.

Since going on spring break I have made many new friends and see them all around the city. Walking down the street and running into people I know makes Florence really feel like my home school. Now that it has past I see how fast time goes by and how easily one week can bring people together.

The weather has gotten warmer and it makes being here very enjoyable. I love walking down the street being able to wear shorts and t-shirts. But with this great weather comes tons of tourists. The city is packed with people and many more shops have opened because of it. My family was here for a week and I got to show them around, but constantly found myself saying, “This was not here a month ago.” Even though I am a tourist of this city I feel my time here has made me earn some rights of being a somewhat local. I was here when no tourists were, when it was bitter cold and not this many shops were open. Going through that made me feel more love for Florence, I will be sad to leave in such a short time.

Emily – University of South Carolina