Week 3 at last; the week that every one said would be the turning point from being homesick to enjoying my time overseas. They could not have been more right. Week 3 has been nothing but smiles, sunshine and lots of firsts. I came to Italy for myself, and as weird and cliche as this may sound, my main goal for this trip is to gain my self confidence and to figure out what type of person I want to become. Being homesick has really prevented me from doing that thus far, but this week has opened my eyes to why people decide to go abroad and the beauty that comes from it. Self reflection has been on my mind a lot, not just solely adjusting my overall characteristics but also putting myself in uncomfortable situations to extract characteristics I didn’t know existed within myself. I have begun to do more of what I came here to do, explore. I walked by myself to different tourist attractions, such as the Santa Croce Church and the Duomo. I decided that after being here for 3 weeks it was time to go inside of them, to walk through them and to see the beauty that these monuments had to offer. It may not seem like a lot, but for me, going out and doing something by myself is a huge step in the right direction. I have been so reliant on what my friends are doing and their schedules that I forgot about the reasons why I am here and what I need to accomplish before I leave. Everyone has different agendas, (totally okay) but I need to remember what mine is.

I went to multiple museums, Academia Gallery, Pitti Palace, Boboli Gardens, Palazzo Vecchio, to name a few. All of which were amazing for their own reasons. I have seen the David statue; which is more magnificent in person than i ever imagined, the old amphitheater ruins under the Palazzo Vecchio, and the Pitti family palace and how they lived. I love studying in a city where everything is so hands on. I am given the opportunity during class, after a lecture on the museum, to go view it and really understand the information. Being a visual learner, this is a dream. I have found a new obsession for art and museums.

As week 3 comes to an end, I have come to the realization of just how much I have grown. I am looking forward to achieving my goals for this semester and watching myself transform into the person I’ve always wanted to be. To another week of confidence, independence and being uncomfortable! Cheers!