Is this Really Happening?

Jessica Heymach
 January 18, 2015
So I'm sitting at JFK waiting for my flight and it is still unreal. I have been looking forward to studying abroad since before I knew what college I was going to and yet I'm still in disbelief. Just like with every other significant life event it's not real until it happens and just like in the past my mind has been racing with a slew of hypothetical situations in which I forget something or something goes wrong. So it doesn't surprise me that my dreams for the past few months feed off these fears and centered around me stuck and stranded in a foreign airport. Because of this I have been methodical in planning for this semester; making lists, organizing, editing lists and adding extra things to my packing lists when I just couldn't leave something behind. Of course some of preparing for this moment couldn't be checked off. Saying goodbye to my family and friends has been one of the most stressful parts of my preparation process. My friends at Lehigh and all the girls in my sorority house mean so much to me that it's unbelievable that I'm not going to be spending next semester with them. Making time and creating memories with my family and everyone important to me has been challenging with everything that I had to get done in the past four weeks but it has been worth it. While I know I'm going to have an amazing time in Siena, I will of course miss everyone back home. Words cannot describe how excited I am about this semester. I've been to Italy before, once when I was 12 with my family and then again when I graduated high school. My second trip was a whirl wind tour of Italy, Switzerland and France, seeing over 10 cities in 9 days. One of those cities was Siena. We were only there for a day but it instantly became one of my favorite cities in Italy and I knew I has to go back. So when the time came to choose a study abroad program and my advisor mentioned IES Siena I knew I wanted to be part of it and could imagine a better place to spend my semester abroad. Living in this beautiful, historic city will be an experience of a life time and I can't wait for it to begin!

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Jessica Heymach

<p>Jessica Heymach is a junior at Lehigh University with a double major in International Relations and Sociology and Anthropology. She cannot be happier to be studying abroad in Siena, Italy this spring. Jessica is from Long Island, New York and loves adventures, whether it is hiking in the Adirondacks or scuba diving in Maui. She has a passion for photography and art. Traveling has always been her dream, and she cannot wait to explore and experience as many cultures as possible.</p>

Program:
Destination:
Home University:
Lehigh University
Major:
International Relations
Sociology
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