EKU Italy Blog Post #1

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Hello world!

So, a quick intro about me: my name is Madison, and I am a senior at Eastern Kentucky University! I am a Child and Family Studies major with a concentration in Child Development. I’m definitely a fan of the kiddos! I currently work as a registered behavior technician at a wonderful Autism clinic and am pursuing this awesome field of Applied Behavior Analysis full force! I could truly talk about this profession for years, so if you want to know more, please ask. Anyways, outside of work and school, I am a frequent adventurer and lover of most things. I would consider myself fairly well-traveled. Within the U.S., some of my favorite places include Colorado, Montana, Florida, and Massachusetts. Outside of the U.S., I’m a big fan of Mexico and Iceland. Another fun fact about me is that I am recently engaged!! Woohoo for love! My husband-to-be and I are having our wedding ceremony on the beautiful island of Santorini, Greece- another place in this world I am certain will fall in the list of my favorite places outside of the U.S.



Now, onto the real reason for this blog. I’m going to Italy!! I am SO EXCITED! 3 weeks of a new culture, beautiful scenery, delicious food, and so much more. Side note- I’m going to try to find my wedding dress while I’m here! I honestly don’t know THAT much about Italy, but that makes this trip all the more exciting and enticing to me. A few other students and staff members accompanying me that are a part of the Family and Consumer Sciences Department at EKU will be taking on the city of Florence in a few days!! HOW has it crept up on us so quickly?! Which leads me into my honesty hour- I feel pretty ill-prepared for this trip. Haha! However, I say this and feel this way before every trip I’ve ever been on, and well, I’ve managed to survive so far and have loved my travels, so I’m sure everything will be just dandy. I am a planner and organizer by nature, so I have made my packing list and have had friends, relatives, my dog, and anyone else willing to listen to me, check it. So, if I follow my trusty list, I feel that I’ll have the materials necessary for a great Italian experience. Mentally, I’ve prepared by making my typical lists. If it’s on a list, life is grand and everything is under control. At least this is the case for me. Physically, I’m in pretty decent shape and I enjoy maintaining consistent exercise in my life, so I feel prepared in this regard. I anticipate many miles of walking, joyful skipping, and even the occasional jog through the streets of Italy! Emotionally, it’s going to be tough being away from my fiancé and sweet fur baby; however, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and how lucky are we to live in the generation that has FaceTime? I mean really, what a blessing.



From the outside looking in, I am not ready. My empty suitcase can speak for itself. However, I have a plan- packing is on my list of things to do tomorrow! I am truly so excited for this trip. I am looking forward to learning new things, meeting new people, making new friends, eating new foods, and simply taking in every moment while I’m abroad. If I’ve learned anything in my days of traveling, it is to take everything in. Be present and positive. Traveling truly changes you- for the better! You just have to allow the growth to take place. At the moment, I’m not really anxious about anything- oh wait, as I typed that out, I realized how untrue that is. I keep forgetting that when we return, my final semester of undergrad will already be in session and I’ll be playing catch up for a little bit. Nevertheless, studying abroad in Italy>being a little behind in school when I return.



The next time you hear from me, I’ll be typing from my apartment in Florence, Italy. What a time to be alive friends!!



Ciao for now! J

Madison Humphrey

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