Jennifer Sauer

Jennifer Sauer is an Ambassador who studied abroad in Italy and Greece.

Briefly describe a specific cultural experience you had on your trip that made a lasting impression.

We were staying the weekend in Riomaggiore, one of the tiny towns in Cinque Terre, Italy. Our hostel reservations were misplaced and a wonderful man, who also happened to own hostels and apartments, essentially picked us up off the street and led us to the most amazing room overlooking the entire town. He did not lead us straight there, but instead weaved back and forth and back and forth again to give us a preview of where we would be staying, pointing out the good spots to eat and get gelato along the way. We had a great time that weekend and experienced just a little of the small town European hospitality that we came to find in many different ways throughout the rest of our semester.

Why did you choose the program in which you participated? 

I had been to Italy before for a brief trip and wanted the chance to see the country for a longer period of time. I was really interested in seeing and getting to know both Italy & Greece. I'd heard great things about the professors linked with the program and the classes worked well with fulfilling my core requirements.

Describe your overall study abroad experience.

There were many ups and even quite a few downs that helped me and my other group members grow in ways I could never have imagined, and I regret nothing that happened during my time abroad. My confidence and independence have grown in such a way that I feel comfortable in almost any situation. My trip was delicious, fast, hilarious and highly educational. It went by way too quickly and I'd give just about anything to be back on the beaches of Crete or the streets of Rome today.

How has the trip affected you? How are you different for having completed the experience?

I am much more confident in my capability to overcome any difficulties that come my way. I have a great new group of lifelong friends and many wonderful memories from my four months abroad. I want to travel everywhere and anywhere more than ever and I have a passion for learning about and from different cultures. I have a much wider view of the world these days and hold a better understanding of how the U.S. is capable of affecting the entire world which is quite a scary responsibility. Something I didn't expect to get out of the trip was the realization that I don't need to rely on technology as much as I thought I do.

What advice do you have for future Study Abroad Students?

Do everything. Try everything. Get to know every single person on your trip. Travel afterwards. Get to know your city so that you can someday refer to a certain pub as "our pub" or a gelato shop as "our gelato place". Do things by yourself sometimes, but also do things as a group such as apartment dinners and trips to amusement parks.