Erin Hopkins is a student at South Nazarene University and was an ISA Photo Blogger. She studied abroad with ISA in Florence, Italy.
Studying in Florence, Italy with ISA has given me the extraordinary opportunity to travel all over Europe, as well as explore the country I am studying in. For me, traveling was a priority while studying abroad because once you are in Europe, so many other countries are easily accessible. It is easy and relatively cheap to take weekend trips to other countries if you know how to look for flights and are flexible on the places you want to visit. Traveling this semester has changed my view on what I am capable of travel-wise and has made places I have only seen pictures of real to me.
While traveling this semester has been incredible, it is easy to get caught up in the traveling and forget to spend time getting to know your host city or even just to give yourself time to rest. Traveling every weekend can be exhausting and mixed with culture shock can start to drain you physically and mentally. So, if you are studying abroad, take this chance to travel and see amazing things and places, but also take the time to take care of yourself and get involved in the place you are studying.
The world awaits…..discover it!