Study Abroad: Riva San Vitale, Switzerland
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” – Mark Twain
Last year I decided I wanted to study abroad, no matter what it took. In fact, I didn’t care where I would travel to, I just wanted to experience the world instead of reading about it online or in books.
When I got accepted into Virginia Tech’s study abroad program in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland to study international communication and magazine writing, I was terrified. Now, this may not be the reaction you were expecting after what I just told you, but I was just as surprised at my reaction at the time. It occurred to me that I would have to travel across an ocean with a group of students I didn’t know, to a country I had never been and try not to get myself in trouble along the way. However, deep down I knew I would regret it if I turned my spot down. So, a few months later I found myself boarding a plane with another girl from my class, Claire.
Throughout the trip I found myself in awe of Switzerland and the gorgeous landscape surrounding the little town we were staying in. The locals were extremely welcoming despite the communication barrier since they only spoke Italian. As part of our trip, we visited a local newspaper, the Corriere del Ticino. During our visit there, they actually took my classes picture for the paper and wrote an article about our visit! When a group of us went to get gelato in Riva San Vitale, the ice cream lady looked at us and pointed excitedly at the newspaper on the counter, we had become local celebrities! I’m just kidding, but we did get recognized and that was a crazy experience in itself.
During the two week program, we attended class every morning from Monday to Thursday with completely open schedules for afternoons and weekends. Everyone utilized every spare moment to go adventure somewhere new. One afternoon, a group of us went to Bellinzona, a town only about a 20 minute train ride away to visit the famous castles.
Another day we traveled to Lake Como, Italy and got to tour a villa that a scene from a James Bond movie was filmed was in. The greatest part of the this adventure was the ferry ride over which was accompanied by stunning views of the lake. As soon as we reached land, I honestly felt as though I was walking only to a movie set complete with all the quintessential lakeside shops and restaurants.
I honestly can’t find the words to describe how sensational this experience was for me. I came out of the trip with experiences I will never forget and friends I will treasure forever. I was lucky enough to continue my adventure after the study abroad ended with a two week trip to Paris and London with my mother. That was just the icing on the cake and I wouldn’t trade anything for this precious time I spent across Europe.
Now, being a videographer, I couldn’t travel and not film. I had my heavy duty Canon 70D for photography, and had recently purchased a smaller camera to vlog on specifically for this trip. Luckily for me, the students in my class didn’t seem to mind me videotaping everything all the time, even when I stuck my camera directly in there faces. After I returned to the states, I compiled the footage into a short video to share with mainly my family. It is my attempt at sharing my experience with everyone.
A special thank you to everyone who made this trip an unforgettable one and to my parents for supporting me no matter what crazy adventure I want to go on.
Travel on friends,
Jac
