Welcome!

AHHH!

I am so excited you're here! We’re going to have so much fun together over the next couple of months! If you don’t know by now, my name is Lauryn, and I am the creator of “Ciao! Florence.” My motivation behind starting this blog was to have a place to write down all of my travel adventures and document my experience while in Italy! I think it’s a really neat thing to be able to log all of the things I hope to see and learn while I'm there, and it also serves as a way for family, friends, and anyone else who’s interested to keep up with me while I am abroad.

Fun fact about me: I really love to write! My throwaway dream job would be to become an author, so this is a fun passion project for me. From the mouth-watering food to the breathtaking scenery, I am here to cover it all. I apologize in advance for the impending detail vomit and the nerding-out that is sure to come. I am genuinely so excited and fortunate to have this opportunity.

Since I started college, I have always known I wanted to study abroad. This was a big goal of mine, and to see it come to fruition is insane. This summer truly is the perfect time for me to go abroad, especially since I am pre-med. The next couple of summers and semesters will be packed with MCAT prep and making sure I am meeting all the prerequisites for medical school (pray for me), so when I told my amazing academic advisor (shoutout to Dr. Benford!) that I wanted to study abroad, she said now is the best time! 

I left that meeting and started consulting with the study abroad office to peruse through the different program options. It was quite overwhelming, if I am being honest, but I knew I wanted to participate in a program that was nutrition-based in Europe or South America. My advisor ended up showing me a program in Florence, Italy, that met all of the things I requested—an apartment stay, a short-term summer study, and a nutrition-centered program—and I knew that was what I wanted to do. It was easy to get course approval, seeing as one of my minors is “Nutrition, Health, and Wellness,” and all that was left to do was fill out my program application, and now we're here!

I hope you decide to stay along for the journey.

Ciao for now,

Lauryn ♡