I stare out at the crowd with my hands and head trapped under the guillotine. A small boy weeps for me, triggering tears to then roll down my cheeks.

These glistening droplets do not fall because I’m mourning my life’s end, but they start because of my uncontrollable, stomach-cramping laughter.

I was the lucky American chosen to be the “victim” of an authentic, Italian Renaissance performance during my study abroad session this past summer in Florence, Italy.

DONLEY

Before going abroad, everyone bombards you with the clichéd stereotypes of how you’re going to change for the better, become more mature, and even have “the greatest time of your life.”

I actually never knew people could use so many superlatives when speaking about one topic, but clearly I was wrong.

When picking where to study abroad, choose somewhere different. I went through CET Academic Programs, a private study abroad organization based in Washington, D.C., and my particular program was also jointly administered with Vanderbilt University and the University of Florence.

So not only did I delve into a whole new culture, but I also learned the dynamics of an entirely different college campus.

Like many UGA students, I’m a Georgian, so going to UGA fails to represent one of my most adventurous decisions.

But by going abroad through another program, I really stepped out of my comfort zone and would recommend it to anyone.

What made my Florence trip so memorable was that none of the other students knew Lumpkin Street and none of the other students knew how to properly bark on a Saturday afternoon.

No one knew me. I couldn’t fall back on standard UGA conversations concerning freshman dorms or football games — I had to start over again, and that was remarkably refreshing

A lot of people go abroad and spend most of their weekends traveling all over Europe to other destinations, but I recommend staying put. I, along with many of my friends, chose to stay exclusively in Italy, only traveling to other Italian cities.

So I spent seven weeks solely understanding the complete paradox of being “Italian.”

Not unified until 1860, this nation still stands highly divided, with each region, city and town having their own traditions, beliefs, environments and even dialects.

So though each “Italian” region does eat pizza and pasta, these labels just scratch the surface of this diverse country. Italians are not just Italians — they are Sicilians, Florentines, Romans … each with their own identity.

When you go abroad, you simply have to go with the flow and let the journey lead way. This final tip brings me back to the Renaissance Festival.

This particular weekend we actually scheduled a horseback vineyard tour and a private wine tasting in a traditional Tuscan castle.

Though the horseback ride lived up to our expectations, the supposedly “private” wine tasting was, in reality, a full-blown Italian Renaissance Festival.

Just imagine the look of astonishment on all of our faces when we approached the overcrowded castle with jousting men on horseback. The only solution in a predicament such as this one, however, is to simply laugh and live it up.

Though this day did not turn out as planned, we still had that clichéd, overly-advertised “time of our lives.” I like to refer to these unexpected incidents as serendipitous abroad moment.

Serendipity — meaning a fortunate accident — stands as one of my favorite words. Just think about it: how many times in your life have you been dreaming about one goal and then completely achieved another you had never even pondered. The complete oxymoron embedded within its very own definition solidifies the phenomenon of this lucky mistake.

So if you get the opportunity to study abroad, make it happen and let serendipity take its course.

— Bridget Donley is a senior from Atlanta majoring in English