When American students leave to come to Italy, they know for sure that they will learn many things besides Italian: to finally cook pasta that is not overcooked or a coffee that is worthy of being called as such; to eat with pleasure and not just to fill one’s stomach; to rely only on their own strength; to face and come across other habits and other cultures. Maybe some words in dialect.

August 19, there were 98 students from Elon on their way to Florence and would be spending the fall semester there. I was so excited to spend a semester in Florence and experience Italy in a way not everyone can. My mind was running a mile a minute with my list of things I wanted to do and see during my study abroad. I had been to Florence before in high school, and we crammed everything into one week, but this was going to be a test of independence and self-discipline, more so than at Elon. This was going to be different.

"Wisdom is knowing how to stay with the difference without wanting to eliminate the difference"

This sentence by Gregory Bateson summarizes in a few words what is one of the fundamental teachings of the study abroad experience proposed by AEF.