Arrivederci and a Hui Hou Italia

Ciao Everyone!

                It has been several weeks since my semester abroad has been officially over and although I am happy to be back in the islands, it feels as if I have never left. Although at the time I was extremely homesick for the first month, now I wish I was still abroad enjoying every new experience I could. My time abroad was the greatest highlight of 2016 and now I refer to 2016 as my golden year. I was extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to study in a different country and gain a new perspective on how life half way around the world is. I can’t wait to take a trip back to Europe to revisit some of my favorite cities such as Zadar, Zurich, Brussels, Nice and to explore places I was unable to see while I was abroad. If I had another opportunity to study abroad again, I would not hesitate to say yes. Like I said it was the best four months of 2016 but in all honesty, it was the best four months of my life!

Shout out to Italy and all the European countries for being a part of my amazing time abroad!

If anyone would like to see additional pictures from all my trips and blog post I wrote while abroad, you can visit my website at http://joselynolinares.wixsite.com/hawaii2milan.

xoxo,

Joselyn

Lights, Camera, Action: Living in a Fashion Capital

Ciaoooooo!

My name is Joselyn and I am currently living life in Milan, one of the most important fashion capitals in the world. What is it like living in such a prestige city you may ask...well, let's just say it's nothing like I was expecting but in a way much more than I could imagine. 

First off, I have just gotten adjusted to the idea of living in another country, one that I had never visited before or was the slightest bit familiar with and it only took me two months and I am leaving in less than a month, ironic right? Before coming to Milan I was extremely excited to be able to experience some place new that I've only heard about or seen pictures of however when I did finally arrive in Italy, the culture shock and unfamiliar surrounding was a bit overwhelming. 

Yes, culture shock is a huge part of studying abroad, especially if you're someone like me who's never been to another country before BUT I have adapted to my new home and can proudly say that Milan has stolen a piece of my heart. From walking to school, to seeing familiar faces each day, to getting to know other study abroad students and being able to be apart of another culture is truly an memorable experience. It's definitely one of the best decisions I've made so far even when I was told it would be impossible to study abroad my senior year but here I am! 

Shortly I'll be writing a post about traveling to other countries right after I have visited my 10th country while studying abroad (that was my goal), so stay tuned!

xoxo,
Joselyn
#Hawaii2Milan