Our last stop on our journey in keeping the dream of International travel alive is Italy. Students attend programs in these countries like the Rome, Florence, and more. One TLU student that I interviewed went on a faculty-led program in Italy. When going to study abroad, there are some factors and experiences that can hold individuals back including uncertainty about classes, fear of the unexpectedness abroad, and even lack of support from family. Here is a glance at some advice, what she has learned through their experiences, and the class she took to make this experience possible.

TLU senior Tara Molina went on a faculty-led program in Italy with faculty and students from the Kinesiology and Education department. She took Motor Learning on the TLU campus in the Spring of 2018 and then, she went on a two-week long trip in May (the May-mester) of 2018 with her fellow classmates and faculty to Italy. They incorporated the lessons learned into the plans abroad. She stated that it was an eye-opening experience and a look into a different culture. When going on their trip, she said that on the Kinesiology side, they looked at sports and nutrition while abroad. Tara observed that their food was different, and they made their meals every day. She stated that sometimes they even have a sit-down dinner that lasts for 3 hours. As far as sports, they do not have many sports clubs for colleges, so many students come to the US to take advantage of the opportunity to play as well as get a degree. Her lowest point in her trip was being exhausted after the plane ride. After they arrived in Italy, it was daylight and they went on a 5-hour tour. She learned to be ready for any experience and to get some coffee or water to keep herself going. Tara’s highest moment was exploring the different churches in the area on her free days. Additionally, she said that the planned days for the program were interesting and they even went to tour a Monetessori school. She did not know what it was at first but, it was fascinating to her.

Her finances were the same, but the cost of a faculty-led trip gets added onto the tuition cost at TLU. But she shared that her Dad helped her pay for her trip, and she saved up money from a summer job. Additionally, she received a scholarship from our International Education department that helped, and she noted that the experience was worth it. Tara did not think that she would ever study abroad, however the May term ended up being the perfect two weeks and Kinesiology did not normally have faculty-led programs. Tara stated, “I was on the fence about it, I say if you are 50/50 go for it. It is an experience that you want to try to get a chance to do [because] not everyone gets a chance to go abroad.” Her tips for studying abroad are keeping an open mind about everything since you will be going to experience a new culture, and she does not have anything that she wished to do differently because she had a good experience. Tara had friends that she knew in the class, and they made the experience a great time. It was also helpful that her father supported her and pushed her to go. He wanted her to go out and experience new things and learn about different cultures/places.

After listening to final story from Tara you can see how she had a unique experience in Italy with her classmates. It is true that we can go through similar experiences, but your study abroad experience is truly what you make of it whether it is a faculty-led program, a summer, fall/spring semester, or even a year. I hope that through these stories you can see how impactful that our study abroad stories are on our lives and hopefully we can use them to inspire others to want to continue learning about different cultures by studying abroad after the pandemic is over. Thank you for coming on this journey to England, New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Cuba, Argentina, and Italy with TLU Student Media as well as the students that shared their stories. Ciao, until next year!

Written By: Audrey West