While studying at the Accademia, I have been surprised by how many people in Arezzo do not speak English—this makes going out on the town challenging, but also works as an invitation to put my Italian language skills into practice. I was also surprised by how healthy the food is here—with dreams of piles of spaghetti and mounds of bread, I thought I would feel bulky and slow, however, I actually feel as if I’m in the best shape of my life so far. Expectations from a dancer’s point of view: I was expecting there to be a lot of competition in the dance department and that there would be teachers who would not think I was up to par with everyone’s dancing technique. From an actor’s point of view: In the theatre department, I was expecting classes to be relaxing as well as invigorating, and that the teachers would focus the class around the central idea of individual process and a non-competitive environment—luckily for me, my expectations have been both met and exceeded. I didn’t expect that there would be so much walking, and I thought that it would be easier to get around town. I also did not expect the days to be so strenuous and exhausting. I need to take at least one nap a day to keep myself from falling asleep in Philosophy class. This changed my view of living abroad because it made my experience more interesting and fulfilling. I have had to learn how to take better care of myself and make sure that I am healthy and well-prepared for a full day of classes at the Accademia.