Submitted by Breanna Phulesar on the 2017 winter session program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Psychology…
I’ve never been to Europe so this whole experience has been new to me. I would consider myself to be a very open minded individual so I’m one to seek foreign experiences. Since I’ve been in Italy, I’ve tried to taste as many different foods as I can while I’m here. I’ve found that I’m not a fan of some risotto dishes, but I’m in love with prosciutto. In addition, I’m trying to see as many new things as I can. I’ve planned day trips to Pisa, Lucca, Siena and the Chianti Region. Many of my group members came up with the plan for us to go see the Pope when he does general audience prayer on Wednesdays. Not everyone is Catholic, but we all agreed that seeing the Pope in person was a rare opportunity so we all went to Vatican City for that occasion. While we were there, we saw St. Peter’s Basilica and it was the greatest church I’ve ever encountered. The architecture had extensive detail and the paintings were beautiful. If I didn’t seize that opportunity to go with the group, I would have never seen the beauty of that church. Learning my way around with the Metro was a great skill that I acquired from this program. One of the biggest opportunities that I am glad I took was going to Venice for a day. Venice was very unique because it doesn’t have roads with cars; water taxis, water buses and gondolas are their ways of travel. The organization of the city, with bridges and narrow streets, was very interesting to see. My favorite part was trying to travel to the church of San Giorgio Maggiore, which was located across the water on an island. The picture I’ve included has me looking out the water bus at the church. Traveling on the water was the highlight of my excursion to Venice.