First Impressions

First impressions are always difficult, at least for me. I have this bad habit of making unfair judgments and setting unrealistic expectations, then in the end, I just end up disappointed. The first night in Italy, I was wondering what I was doing here. The hotel that we were staying at seemed to be in a trashy ghetto, one you could find in many places in the United States. Why would I come all the way to Italy and pay money to get something that I could find in my backyard? However, the second day exceeded my expectations. While it was different from what I imagined, Perugia is beautiful and historic and I definitely could not find things like this in my back yard. I am trying my best to not do the same with this course. There are things that I expect and I may be slightly disappointed if these ideals are not true, but I am trying my best to keep an open mind.

I first and foremost expect this class to be an expansion of my mind. I have to remind myself that this is a study abroad trip and not a vacation. I am here to learn, and learn is what I plan to do. However, I plan to learn not only in the classroom, but also in the very streets that I walk everyday, in local muesems, and in the trips that we take. For the first time, I will not just be learning about Western Civilization in a book, but living in it. I expect to learn about art, music, and philosophy. I am especially exciting because none of these things directly apply to my nursing degree. I hope to become a more well rounded student that is able to think, citize, and write about my educational experience. Most of all, I hope to grow.