My name is Anelia Marston and I’m a first semester junior studying abroad in Prato, Italy. I major in Psychology and Global Studies, which is the perfect excuse for studying abroad. I am a sister of Alpha Sigma Alpha, a twirler for the UNH Marching Band, and a member of A-Team.

I have been in Italy for a little over a week now, and it is absolutely breathtaking. The buildings are so gorgeous and each of them has their own story to tell. I can’t even begin to describe the food in Italy. Bartels has nothing on the food here. I don’t understand how Italians are so skinny when the food is just so good.

Classes started earlier last week, and vacation mode is fading away. I am taking a Terrorism class and a Democracy class with Professor Schmidt from the home campus. My schedule also includes classes such as Italian Life and Culture, Italian Language, and Art & Science in Renaissance Italy, which are taught by professors from the Tuscany campus. I really wish this was a three-month vacation and not another semester of school but I think I will manage with being in Tuscany and all.

The school provides us with many opportunities to explore the Tuscany region. On Friday, we went on a trip to the ParcoPrato, which is the mall in Prato. Definitely not your average American mall but it does have an H&M and a Burger King (which of course were the first places we went)!

The most difficult thing about being in Prato is the language barrier. Luckily, some people speak English, but at some places, it feels like I am playing a game of charades! I was in a gelato shop the other day with some friends and this four year-old girl tried telling me a flavor was good and I didn’t even know how to respond!

I am so excited to learn as much as I can about the culture and life in Italy and go out of my comfort zone to try new things. I am already starting to plan trips in the future to explore more of Europe!