At the end of this semester I am faced with a dilemma. I want the next week and few days that I have left at Lehigh to go by quickly because I am tired of school work and studying. At the same time, I don’t want this time to go by quickly because I have friends who are graduating, I will be moving out of my sorority house for good, and I will be a senior (SCARY!).
Despite the fact that I am scared to end my third year as an undergraduate, I am excited for summer. I will be traveling to Italy for about 10 days! According to a study, young Americans see Italy as a less attractive place to study abroad and visit because of the Amanda Knox case.
I am not included in this statistic. I absolutely cannot wait to visit Italy! Because I was not able to study abroad for an extended period of time due to graduation requirements, I take vacations very seriously. I use vacation as a time to squeeze in everything sight, sound, smell, taste and experience possible. This summer I will be absorbing all that Rome, Florence and Tuscany have to offer (yes, that includes lots of gelato!).
From doing research for a previous post, I learned a lot about what I can expect to see in Italy. It is really a shame that students are shying away from this historic and culturally rich country as a study abroad option. While the study suggests that the Amanda Knox case is partly to blame for the decreased attraction to the country, it is important to remember that unknown dangers exist in all situations. Pretty much anything can happen anywhere.
Ask anyone. I am not a risk taker. There comes a point, though, where I have to weigh fear against my passions. I am passionate about traveling, learning new things through experiences and adopting aspects of different cultures into my ways of thinking and acting. I will not let fear stop me from achieving my dreams and broadening my horizons, and you shouldn’t either.
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