Pre-Departure: Florence

Pre-Departure 

The Psychopharmacology program in Florence, Italy was just one of the many global seminar programs provided for the summer. However, the courses offered on this program could be attributed towards my major in addition to being a great study abroad experience in Italy. I made the decision of going on the program with a friend that also wanted to travel abroad at least once during college. Since we both had not travelled much internationally before, it felt more comfortable already knowing someone beforehand. I would learn later on the program that although helpful, it was unnecessary to know anyone beforehand on the program. 

Considering that the airfare costs to Europe are very expensive especially during the summer, I decided that I would knock off a couple items of my bucket list and see some of the popular touristic and local places in Europe after the program. I wanted to backpack through Europe following the program staying at hostels and absorbing as much of the local culture as possible. However, I did not have an exact itinerary only a vague organization of places I would travel to. I wanted to live as much in the moment and decide to travel and do any activities as I wanted to do as I was going along. I did not want to feel structured into an immutable travel plan that would be very different once I actually start traveling. 

Packing 

Although the weather forecast was hot for Italy during the months of summer, I still felt obligated to bring some pants and long-sleeve shirts and jackets. However, upon arriving the weather was much warmer as I was not used to the humidity. The only bearable outfits consisted of just shorts and t-shirts. Ultimately, I packed more unnecessary clothes and other toiletries that were easily and cheaply acquired in Florence.