March Update

As we're nearing the end of March, I have officially made it past the halfway point of my semester abroad. The time has gone by so quickly, and I am trying my best to make the most of every day here. I have come to love studying and living in Finland. My semester here is split into two "teaching periods", and I only have one class in the second teaching period. I am really enjoying this time as I know how busy I'll be when I go back to Lake Forest in the fall.

Since my last post, I was able to take an amazing trip to Italy! I was supposed to meet a friend in Milan, but unfortunately she was not able to make it last minute. I was still able to meet her sister in Milan for the weekend, and we had a great time exploring the city, the fashion, and the food. We were also able to take a day trip to Lake Como, which was really beautiful. We parted ways after the weekend, and I was by myself in Italy for the next week.

I started my solo week in Florence, which I absolutely loved. I was able to stay in female dorm rooms for the duration of my trip and really lucked out with great hostels. In Florence, I explored the city and its art, visited a couple of museums, found some great vegan spots, and took a day trip to Siena. Florence was my favorite city I stayed in, and Siena was my favorite day trip I was able to do.

After Florence, I spent about a day and a half in Venice. Navigating a city like Venice was a new experience for me, but I really enjoyed it. I spent most of my time just wandering around the city and enjoying the canals and bridges. As Venice is second in the world to Pittsburgh in number of bridges, I really felt at home 😉. I had to travel overnight back to Milan to catch my flight and had a long travel day back to Tampere.

Overall, my trip to Italy was really amazing. It was the longest solo trip I've done, and I felt like it was a really great experience. Italy is such a beautiful country with a rich history.

Other than my Italy trip, I have been studying in Tampere, enjoying watching the sunset on the lake every night, and spending time with my friends. Over the next month or so we have trips planned to Stockholm and Estonia. I am really grateful that I am able to travel and explore Europe so much while I am here.

I also have decided to extend my stay in Europe for about an extra month this summer. I am finalizing my decision soon, but I will be an au pair for the month of June before I come home.

Thanks as always for reading.

Much love,

Hannah