“The best decision I made at Harvard was to leave it.”

I remember seeing this slogan emblazoned on a colorful poster handed out at the Office of International Education’s open house. As a freshman in her first semester, I was quite alarmed by this poster. Why would anyone want to leave Harvard? Does that mean that I have yet to find out that Harvard is an unwelcoming or unfriendly environment, so much so that people would want to leave? As a naive freshman, I genuinely worried about whether my experiences so far were only filtered versions of the realities of Harvard, filtered through my awe at simply being at Harvard. What harsh truths were yet to come from the ivy-covered buildings and leave-sprinkled Yard that I have come to adore as I pass by?

Luckily, my worries were unfounded. Over the next few months, I talked to many upperclassmen who studied abroad and discovered that they went for various reasons: to widen their cultural horizons, receive intensive language training, take classes, or to conduct research. I personally decided to study abroad not because I felt like I wanted to leave Harvard, but because of the amazing opportunities to immerse myself in a new country and culture for an extended period of time. That year, I thought to myself, what is one place that I’ve always wanted to travel to, but never had a chance to? The place that immediately popped into my mind was Venice. To me, Venice seemed like a fantastical city out of a fairy tale. The idea that a bustling city with no cars and built entirely on a network of islands on stilts still existed in the 21st century intrigued me. To my delight, I found out that the Harvard Summer School offers a summer study abroad program in Venice. I immediately applied, and a few months later, I was speeding on a ferry from the mainland airport to Venice.

The next two months passed like a whirlwind. The first two weeks, we had a program orientation in which we all took “Survival Italian” to learn basic Italian phrases that would serve us well the next two months and signed up for extracurricular cultural activities, like visiting the gorgeous gardens in Verona and dragon boat racing in the Venetian canals. After the orientation ended, I took two classes in the humanities, something I’ve never done at Harvard, because I specifically wanted to choose classes that utilized our location in Venice in some way. These classes were “Shakespeare in Venice”, which explored the two of Shakespeare’s works that were inspired by Venice, and “Venetian Art and the Bible”, which taught me how to analyze great works of European art in their religious context. Every other class, we would take field trips to art galleries or churches to look at art and apply our new knowledge. Outside of class, I began to feel more and more like a Venetian local as I traversed the narrow alleyways and took vaporettos down the Grand Canal everyday to get to class or to buy groceries. I savored every moment of it because being able to live in Venice for such an extended period of time was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

On the weekends, which extended from Friday to Sunday for most people, we were free to do whatever we wanted. Thanks to Italy’s extremely convenient train system, I traveled to other cities and towns in Italy, like Rome, Florence, Milan, and Cinque Terre, with other Harvard students in the program. Since it was my first time in Europe in general, there was always something new to see and do, no matter where I turned. I had an absolute blast visiting all the famous sightseeing spots (and taking cheesy touristy pictures), indulging in delicious gelato and pasta, and just taking in the lively atmosphere of Italian life while lounging in piazzas. Through the course of our shared adventures, I became close friends with some of the Harvard students, and to this day, we still share a unique bond that is difficult to explain to anyone else. It was a bond forged out of being in that particular place, at that particular time in our lives, and I think that describes the essence of what makes studying abroad so special. It’s a complete immersion into a country so unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before, so these two months in Italy will always have a special place in my heart.

After my three international experiences at Harvard, I agree with the slogan- with one minor edit: “One of the best decisions I made at Harvard was to leave it.” Studying abroad definitely created a lot of unforgettable memories that will forever be some of the highlights from my college career, but personally, I would not want to miss an academic semester at Harvard by studying abroad, which is why I am so glad that there are summer study abroad opportunities. As much as I love trying new foods, making new friends, and seeing the wonders of the world with my own eyes abroad, I don’t want to miss out on the deeply meaningful conversations in the dining halls or in common rooms late at night with my friends about our hopes, intellectual pursuits, and uncertainties for the future. I want to make the most of the extensive opportunities to pick a renowned professor’s brain about their research and to attend exciting performances and talks on campus. I want to take my time wondering at the beauty of the Yard and Tercentenary Theater as I walk to class in the mornings and running along the Charles with breathtaking sunsets as my backdrop. I only have four years to be a student at the College, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

P.S. If you'd like to see a few fun snippets of my summer, check out this vlog I created!