2019 Italy #COBGlobal: day two, lost and found

An ECUCOB, Study Abroad Travel Log By Samantha Stinger

Today was the first day I felt I was truly able to enjoy Italy and be in the best mood yet. After landing, it turned out my luggage never made it to Turin. I had to spend the next two days borrowing others’ clothes. Thankfully, it finally came Monday night. I was able to wear my clothes, shoes, and makeup on the day of my blog. I was extremely happy and ready to really explore Italy. In the morning, we went to the accounting firm, Studio Boidi & Partners. I found this tour to be very interesting because it was run by a female who was a part of the Boidi family.  She was extremely smart and intelligent, and it was great to see an amazing woman in another country run such a successful company. I also realized how high Italy’s taxes could be on certain products, and I’m grateful America’s are not as high. After the tour, we had the rest of the day to explore Turin on our own for our last night there.

Our tour guide, Filippo showed us a delicious but affordable lunch spot called Sicily. Here I ate something I had never heard of or tried before. It was called a rice bowl. In this circular shaped meal, there was rice, prosciutto and mozzarella cheese all melted up inside. One of the main reasons I was so excited to come to Italy was to try the food. So, I decided to not stick with the original pasta and pizza and go for something new and different. This meal only cost me 2 euros, and it was one of the best meals I have tried so far on the trip! I am very excited to expand my taste buds and try new foods throughout Italy, as it is well-known for their delicious meals.

Afterward, we all went shopping in town, and I purchased a few items of clothing. I really enjoy how Italy has familiar stores, but it also has stores with new, different styles. I decided to move out of my comfort zone and buy a shirt I would not typically buy. I also saw beautiful monuments throughout the city and tried the famous gelato for the first time.  I find this to be the best part of studying abroad. I am forcing myself to move outside of my comfort zone when it comes to food, clothing, traveling and experiencing new things. I only have traveled outside of the country once before, and that was earlier this year in March to Mexico. Traveling abroad is something I have always been excited to experience, so far this trip has lived up to all of my expectations, and I truly enjoy just living in the moment and seeing how different Italy’s culture is different from America’s.

During our last night in Turin, we all went to a nice sit-down dinner. Here, Filippo helped all of us order our food and recommended some amazing desserts. I am happy that ECU has tour guides for us as they have taught me so much about Italy itself, how to communicate, and what the best foods are to eat.

I have made so many new friends that I will keep in contact with throughout my senior year. This experience has taught me so much already in such a short period, and I am more than excited to see what else is in store for the remainder of the trip!

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