Anna Weber

Overall Experience

My experience abroad was absolutely amazing! I traveled to so many new cities and countries, met wonderful people, and tried lots of new foods! My classes were very hands-on and informative and my schedule allowed me to have lots of free time to explore Florence during the week. The semester flew by and it was definitely bittersweet to come home.

Learning experience

My most valuable learning experience was a field trip we took in my Visual Merchandising class. We walked over to a department store called Rinascente and perused through the 5 floors of merchandise and displays in order to see some of the merchandising tactics we were learning about being used in real life. It was really interesting how much we usually overlook in a store when we're paying attention to the merchandise rather than the displays. It is definitely something I will be more aware of when I go into a store!

Memorable experience

My most memorable experience from my semester abroad is riding the London Eye (the giant ferris wheel) during sunset. London was the #1 place I wanted to travel to while I was abroad and being there felt so surreal. Everything was just like I imagined in would be – red double decker busses, adorable accents, amazing fashion, and delicious food. Being up in the Eye was incredible and we could see all of the Royal buildings including Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. Truly an experience I will never forget!

What did you not expect?

Something I didn't expect was how many people can speak more than one language in Europe. Most people we talked to in restaurants, shops, or on public transportation spoke at least 2 languages but some people we encountered spoke 4 or 5. This motivated me to learn more Italian phrases and at least try to understand the language even if it was just reading the cereal boxes at the grocery store. I think this will also carry over into my professional life and give me a new perspective on worldwide communication.

What advice would you give?

The first thing that comes to mind is try to say yes to as many things as possible. Whether it's a weekend trip, going out to dinner, or meeting someone in class, keeping an open mind and trying new things will make the abroad experience that much more memorable. Next, I would say try to be as flexible as possible. While traveling around on the weekends, my roommates and I encountered many, many bumps in the road that we had to find solutions for. Things like train strikes, flight delays, and dead phone batteries are all less than ideal situations but there's always a solution for everything and it's easier in the long run if you can take these things in stride.

How has this experience impacted your life?

After my semester abroad, I feel a new sense of independence and confidence in myself. Taking on this adventure alone reassured me that I can handle unknown situations and can rely on myself to get where I want to go. A personal goal I made before I left was to try and make a few super close friends. I can confidently say my roommates abroad have turned into some of my best friends and are people I will stay connected with for a very long time. In terms of education, I wanted to gain new perspectives about how the fashion industry operates in Europe. My three fashion courses all gave me fresh ideas about trends and trend forecasting, visual merchandising strategies, and the entrepreneurship side of the industry. Overall, my time abroad allowed me to feel so grateful for both the opportunity to live in Europe but also emphasized how lucky I am to have such a great program and community to come home to at ISU.

How did you learn about this experience?

I learned about Lorenzo de' Medici in AESHM 1110 my freshman year. The peer mentors in the class talked a lot about their experiences abroad, and it sparked an interest for me so I started doing my own research about which program would be the best fit for me.

International Connections