Studying abroad in Florence, Italy was one of the most surreal, life-changing experiences of my life. Initially, specifically picking AIFS’s program in Florence was about the convenience of its dates, the art history of the location itself, and the excitement of what I would experience and create there. However, the experience I got through the program became a lot bigger than that. I left my study abroad trip feeling like a different person with a new perspective on life.
While my program was set in Florence, Italy, I was able to travel all around the country while I was there. Traveling all over Italy was not only incredibly breathtaking, but it provided a lot of useful knowledge on how to navigate new places. It showed me a whole new outlook on how to get around. I have used public transport sparingly throughout my life since it is not very accessible where I am from. However, in Italy, it was the most reliable and my only form of transportation. If I wasn’t walking somewhere, then I was taking a train (or on the rare occasion, I was holding on for dear life in a taxi). I had to learn how to be prepared every time I went somewhere, and I had to learn how to navigate without wifi or data accessible to just search where to go. It made me feel incredibly self-sufficient and empowered as I learned how to navigate my own way around. However, nothing could have truly prepared me for the sights I was able to see while there. The ruins of the Roman Forum, the alleyways of Venice, the trails at Cinque Terre, the caves of Antro del Corchia, and the Siena vineyards all felt as if I was living in a dream. Every day since, I think back, wondering how I was actually there or able to see such remarkable things. Whether I was learning about them in an educational setting or just exploring with my partner, I was in awe of the history and landscapes that surrounded me.
I also never expected the amazing experiences and connections that AIFS Abroad would allow me to have. The instructors were some of the best college professors that I have ever had and each of them had lots of talent in their field. I grew immensely as a painter because of how I was pushed to paint in a way I had never been before thanks to Frans. I learned more about Florentine art and the museums in the city because of the vast range of knowledge that Laura supplied with us each day, and Francesca made me feel like I really understood the Italian fashion world and showed off sectors of it that I would have never thought to witness on my own. I have so much happiness in my heart when I think back to these instructors and what they taught me. The whole staff that worked with AIFS Abroad was encouraging and a joy to learn from. However, more importantly, I gained some really valuable friendships with people that I would have never encountered without this trip. Whether it was random Italians that we met in a small town bar or the other students from various states around the U.S., I feel like I got to interact and connect with the most interesting people. Even since getting back, I have felt more open to connecting with new people because of having to live around a world of unknown people for those two months. It made me feel excited about the connections that I could build and the things I could learn from people I do not know.
While there are definitely many wonderful reasons to be back home, a part of me still wishes I was living in that Via Romana apartment. Each day that I have been back home since, I think about when I was sitting at that easel in the art studio, wondering which restaurant I would go to for lunch. I will think about the way the light shined in through those historic windows and the way the street sounded when I left the building or the way the coffee tasted from Gustabar.
There was a sense of excitement and joy that I experienced in Florence that made what seemed even like the most mundane moments into the most fulfilling. Studying abroad was no longer just about what I was studying in my classes or the food to try, but it was about discovering a new way of life that will continue to influence me each day. It fueled me with inspiration for things to create, and it makes me excited to capture the feelings and experiences that I had there through the paintings I will continue to create. Even though I may miss staring at the paintings in the Fortuny Museum in Venice, or I may miss walking around the Boboli Gardens in Florence, I know that one day I will get to go back and have even more appreciation and love for what I am witnessing. I also know that I will always get to hold those special memories with me for the rest of my life.
Bailey Tunnell (BA Art – Studio) spent the Summer 2023 semester studying abroad in Florence, Italy through AIFS. Bailey had the following to say about studying abroad, “Studying abroad with AIFS was a life-changing experience that allowed me to open myself up to new connections. I came back from Florence, Italy feeling empowered and inspired in a way that I could have never imagined.”
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