My Study Abroad Goals

Words and photos by Makenna Kaminski (unless otherwise noted). Makenna is our Jetsetter Journalist studying abroad in Sorrento, Italy, during Spring semester 2023.

I'm a natural planner and goal-setter at heart. I love to fill my journal pages with list after list of goals and aspirations I have for myself to complete at a given time. I never fail to work towards achieving that something more.

Naturally, I'm treating my study abroad experience the same way. This is about to be a life-changing chapter in my life, leading me to new opportunities that I have never had access to until now. Some of which I may never get access to ever again. And I have never been so excited.

I want to make the most out of my time in Europe and not miss a beat. Yet, I still want to enjoy myself and not get overwhelmed in the process. My goals might be a little big, but I know that the minute I cross overseas I'll feel limitless. I already feel so since jumping over boundaries to get to Italy, a process that took months of planning.

Still, I made it through the hardest of the planning parts. Now all I have to do is finish up my preparations and set off with the mindset that anything is possible.

Travel as much as I can

Right off the bat, traveling is a definite must. How often will I get the chance to be in Europe? Probably not a lot, which is why I want to take advantage of every travel opportunity available to me. Even though I plan to go back overseas after my time abroad, I know that once I return to the States, I'll likely be stuck there for a while.

From what I hear, traveling in Europe is so easy. There are fast trains, impossibly cheap flights, and great Airbnb's under $50 a night. In the U.S., this is practically unheard of! Everything here in Europe is also so close. You can travel from Italy to Spain or France in just two hours by plane, which gives me practically no reason to say no.

I hope to (realistically) visit four or five different countries while I'm abroad, and of course various cities along with that. I think this will be a practical amount to visit without overwhelming myself or my wallet. Though, if the opportunity arises, I'm always happy to see more!

There are also so many amazing places in Italy that I can't wait to see. There's Venice, Verona, Rome, Florence, Tuscany, etc. Each is so different in its culture that they will all be a spectacle to see in their own unique way.

Be outgoing

One of the things that annoys me most about myself is how shy I tend to get in social situations. I oftentimes turn down social invitations, never speak up, and act uncomfortable in group settings. But this is my time to branch out and become a lot more outgoing.

I know I can't magically become a new person overnight, but I'm hoping to be much more courageous, outspoken, and confident at my new school. I want to take advantage of new opportunities and not be afraid to be myself. I am going to be in Europe for goodness sake, and I feel that I can be whoever it is that I want to be there.

I don't want to worry about the judgments of others like I do at my home school. I want to be entirely unique and go outside of my comfort zone, even if that just means speaking up a little extra in class. It's the simple acts of confidence that I know will help me build pieces to becoming the person I want to be.

Write every day

My life dream is to be a writer, and I believe that Italy is putting me on my path toward achieving just that.

I am taking my first-ever creative writing course in Italy, and I am so excited to see what I discover through this class. I've always loved to write, but I haven't done much with creative work, so I feel like this is about to open up an entirely new door for me.

I imagine that this class alone will get me writing more than ever. On top of my classes, I'm going to be working on my journalism grant with ASA as well as my personal blog and my journal, so there's tons of writing to keep me busy.

I hope to write every day so I can take advantage of all the beautiful things I experience and expand my practice. And, the best thing about Italy is that I will never run out of inspiration.

Learn Italian

I LOVE languages. I've been learning Spanish for about nine years now and It's always my favorite class to take. I've already been working so hard toward learning some Italian and I would love nothing more than to come back from Italy fluent (or realistically proficient) in the language. Everyone always laughs when I tell them I want to do this, but I really want to at least try! I think it's worth a shot.

I've been working on my Duolingo app every day for months now, even if it's only ten minutes or so a day. I think every bit counts, and will be equally now that I’m finally in Italy.

As long as I have a base to work off of, I can start practicing with some of the Italian natives and then work towards my goal. Another language goal I have is to read a book in Italian before I come back to the states. I think this would be so cool, even if I have to take my time and translate half of it.

Who knows, maybe I will learn more than I think.

Be creative

I am definitely a creative soul at heart. I've always loved writing, art, painting, and anything of the like. Yet, I always get so caught up in life that I completely lose this side of myself. Especially where I go to school, I feel almost embarrassed to make this aspect of myself known to the world. I know I shouldn't, but still I can't help but hide it sometimes, especially the fact that I love novels and want to be a writer.

In Italy, the birthplace of arts and the cultural center of the world, I really hope to embrace my inner artist. I want to flourish in my creative side and learn more about myself along the way. I want to be proud of the writing and art I create and I hope to share it all with the world.

I want to take countless photos, write extensively, read books, explore museums, and also dress in my true style. I want to explore the artistic presence within myself, and I want to view all the art this world offers to us.

BECOME ImmerseD in the culture

One of the main reasons I chose Sorrento was because it's known to have a more "authentic" Italian culture. As opposed to Rome and Florence which have been Americanized, Sorrento seems to hold onto its traditional charm. And I can't wait to explore every bit of it.

I hope to try all of the traditional things Sorrento is known for, especially the lemons! I also want to do my best to speak in Italian, talk with locals, and find many hidden sights off of the tourist path. I'm going to be in Sorrento for more than four months, and I really want to do my best to act like a local along the way.

By the time I leave Sorrento, I want to know all the local spots, the streets, and everything in between. The ultimate goal would be to get recognized by my favorite shop workers and build relationships with them too.

Make many new friends

I am going into this experience with the mentality that we all chose to come to Sorrento for a similar reason. Thus, I am hoping to find a lot of other students like myself at Sant'Anna Institute.

The school seems to be pretty small, with the program only holding about 100 students. With a group this size, I'll likely have classes with a bunch of the same people and get to know them pretty well. Also, living in a dorm should make this much easier as well since we will all be living in the same place and experiencing the same things together.

I want to take advantage of this opportunity to make life-long connections and learn so much more about others. I hope to be as outgoing as possible, instead of quiet like I've always been in the past. I honestly love talking to new people, but for some reason always get scared to do it. This is my chance to change this!

LA DOLCE FAR NIENTE

La dolce far niente - the Italian specialty, especially in Sorrento.

Here, as I'm told, the natives like to move slowly and enjoy life peacefully and sweetly. They like to spend their days working in little shops, strolling the streets, catching up with friends, and making time for the simpler things in life.

Something I think we all need more of.

I want to embrace this in my study abroad. I hope to enjoy my school experience without being overstressed like I always have been dring these past few years. I want to spend time with people, make relationships, and do the things I love most.

I want to stop feeling so guilty for taking the time to do these "sweet" things. I plan to make the choice every day to include these things because these are what will improve my life each and every day.

Publish my writing

I love to write so much, and it's always been my dream to publish my writing somewhere where people can actually read it. Yet, I always face the same issues time and time again.

I think I don't have enough content to write about
I never have the time needed to write
I am too afraid to publish my work

While abroad, I can tackle all three of these things. Not only will I have more than enough content to make up my writing, but I'll also have so much more free time to take advantage of. Without a job this semester, I'll have plenty of time to write after my classes. I'll have tons of time to write while traveling on planes and trains too.

The fear of publishing is something I am just going to have to make myself get over. I am traveling across the world for goodness sake! If I can make this trip solo, I can surely manage to publish the words I write.

Each step is a step forward. Even if I publish bits here and there, I'll still be happy to have done it. My goal is to publish a book or get featured somewhere big. A little ambitious, I know. But hey, let's see what I can accomplish!

Build my travel accounts

Before leaving for Italy, I decided to start a travel Instagram, a YouTube for videos, and my blog page. I've spent countless hours on it all, so I hope to make the most of it and get people to actually read it.

I want to share my experiences so people can follow it all. I put in this effort before I left so I could have everything ready to go before I go to Italy. This way, I really have no excuse.

My goal is to post as much content as I can and build a good following base. This would be so cool to know that people are interested in the work I've poured so much effort into. Just the thought of people looking at my content makes me so excited!

Learn / Make the most of school

This past year, I felt like there was so much against me. I had housing issues that caused me to move seven times, financial struggles, and three jobs that gave me no stability or free time. I debated dropping out of the semester but pushed through and (barely) made it through finals.

Needless to say, school wasn't at the forefront this past semester.

I love school though, so it broke my heart that it had to be this way. I enjoy learning, studying, going to class, and holing up in my favorite corner of the library. But I felt like it was all taken away from me.

This semester I am so excited to get a redo. I'm completely ready to go into my new school with a fresh start and really enjoy the learning experience like I've always wanted to. Here, I won't have a job to distract me, and I'll have infinite resources available to me to make learning possible, even outside of the classroom. There's so much history to Italy, that I feel like it'll be impossible not to be learning every step of the way.

Not only will I be studying in Italy, but I'll also be learning in an entirely new way. Here, I'll be living on top of my history lessons instead of seeing it all second-hand in a textbook. I think this is going to change learning for me entirely and help me experience things I'd never be able to otherwise. Engaging in my lessons will bring me so much closer to the source of what I am learning about.

Be spontaneous

The whole point of going to Europe is to be spontaneous, right?!
I'm so tired of penciling in every single minute of my day into an already jam-packed calendar.

But, I'm going to be in Italy!! I refuse to spend my entire semester this way.

If life has taught me anything lately, it's to not live by planning minute to minute. I want to go with the flow and see what comes to me. I also want to say yes to some of the opportunities I otherwise might have never chosen. Whether this is something downright frightening, or just something I wouldn't have thought of myself, I want to do it. And maybe I'll hate some of the things I'll try, but I want to be happy that I attempted something new.

I don't want to spend my entire time abroad nervously checking my calendar every time someone asks me to do something. I want to live in the moment and stop my overthinking, even if that means shuffling things aside in my (realistically meaningless) calendar to embrace the moment

Enjoy myself!

That's what studying abroad is all about. Of course, we're going abroad to get credit for school, but the experiences are what we're really here for. I think of this as my "semester off" in a sense. When I go back to Charleston, I'm going to be starting my senior year which is such a scary thought. Being a senior means everything kicking into high gear, and my real adult life starting to begin.

This might be my last chance to really take advantage of being a true college kid. I want to enjoy every minute of it and do all the things I never got to do in college back home. I know I'm about to have the time of my life but I want to make sure I appreciate it all.

It's almost like I get a re-do. I often feel like I didn't do college right the first time around, with COVID and also with struggling to make ends meet while handling all my classes. For my study abroad, this is my chance to make new choices based on everything I've already learned. So many people reflect on their college experiences and think of the things they wish they did differently. Through my time abroad, I'm lucky enough to be able to actually change these things.

I'm so grateful for my opportunity to go abroad, and I can't wait to see all of the amazing things I get to do with it. I think this semester is really going to change me, and think it'll be in all the best ways.

Learn more about studying abroad with ASA!