High School Study Abroad in Florence, Italy

Best month of my life, by far. The only word I can think of to describe this past summer is “unreal”. Nothing can compare to sipping tea at Kensington Palace, climbing the Arc de Triomphe and eating pastries atop the Eiffel Tower, sailing down Amsterdam's canals, visiting a giant German castle overlooking a stunning alpine lake, paragliding and whitewater rafting in the Swiss Alps, having brunch in a rotating restaurant on top of a nearly 3,000-meter-tall mountain, negotiating at an Italian leather market, relaxing at a gorgeous villa on a winery, exploring the Roman Colosseum, hiking in the beautiful Cinque Terre, swimming in the crystal-clear waters of the French Riviera, and partaking in a Spanish Tapas Masterchef-esque tournament, all within a month. This is just a small taste of what this trip has to offer. The amount of meaningful memories I’ve made is endless. I met new friends, tried new foods, experienced SO many things for the first time, and had an absolutely surreal amount of fun. 10/10 across the board.

The experiences I had while travelling in Italy will affect me for the rest of my life. Being able to see the history and culture of so many cities and interact with people, firsthand, is something that I would never have been able to do. It was a busy month, but there was a good balance of "down time" where we got to explore. The homestay is by far the most unique part of the whole trip. It was mind blowing to be so welcomed into a family and see what day-to-day life is really like. You can travel your whole life and never see that. I came into this trip with a passion for the culinary industry, however, this trip provided such a rich look at food on a world wide level. The culinary school experience is appropriate for all levels of skill. I learned so many different techniques and cooking methods that we just don't see at home very often. The tours we went on to different kinds of farms and restaurants were also something you cannot do without the Experiment. I met wonderful people, saw beautiful cities and museums full of art, and ate my way through every city. I am forever grateful.