While most study abroad programs are one semester long and mine was only one month, there were a lot of lessons I took away from the trip and even more memories I’m able to look back and reflect on.
虽然觉得多数国际交流项目仅仅持续一个学期的时间，甚至像我参加的只有一个月时间，但是在这旅程却受用匪浅，而且那些难忘的回忆让我不禁回头看而不停思索。
There’s a reason to get healthy and stay that way.
保持健康是有原因的。
This kept reverberating in my mind every time I went on a hike through the Italian mountains. I saw sights I would have never been able to had I not been in shape – example: Cinque Terre. Exercise has always been a big part of my life, especially in college, but it’s easy to put it on the back burner when you have professors, advisers, or parents down your throat. My study abroad experience definitely made me realize why staying healthy and fit is so important.
每当我去意大利山间远足的时候，这条不断在我的脑海里浮现。我看到我以前从来没有意识到为什么我必须保持身材——例如：五渔村(Cinque Terre)。锻炼是我生活中的一大部分，特别是在大学的时候，但是当教授、导师或是父母对你逼得很紧的时候，很容易将其抛在脑后。我海外留学的经历确确实实使我意识到为什么保持健康和身材是如此的重要。
Traveling abroad is a humbling experience.
出国游令人谦卑。
You will have a very new appreciation for current immigrants in our country after you travel abroad. I had many embarrassing moments whilst in Italy simply because I am not Italian. Not understanding or misinterpreting their mannerisms, getting on the wrong bus, or stumbling through speaking Italian made me want to come home and be more patient towards those who are visiting the USA.
出国旅行之后，你会对移民到你们国家的人更加欣赏。 我在意大利的时候就有过尴尬的时候，就单单因为我不是意大利人。不理解或是误解他们的理解、搭错车、或是说着蹩脚的意大利语，这都是我想要在回家后对那些来访美国的朋友更加耐心。
There’s no reason to travel abroad if you’re not going to immerse yourself in a new culture.
既然去了，就要入乡随俗。
The one thing that seems to offend any particular country’s citizens are the people who make zero attempts to learn something about the new culture and subsequently apply it on their visit. Don’t go to another country if you’re not going to be willing to try their food, be silly trying to ask for the bathroom, or say the phrase “well back at home we don’t do that.” Learn to appreciate the beauty in different cultures and embrace your own at the same time.
貌似有一件事会惹恼任何一个特定国家的居民，那就是当来访者不尝试学习新的文化，并且不断的在他们的来访中尝试着身体力行。如果你不乐意尝尝他们的食物、不能傻乎乎的问厕所在哪里、或是不想说上几次“在我们那边不时这样的。”，那你就不要去其他国家了。学习着去欣赏其他文化中的魅力，同时拥抱你自己的文化。
Pictures only capture half the beauty.
照片只是一半的美丽。
I took hundreds of pictures on my trip, but I also made it a point to turn off the camera and stand still to make sure I was fully present in whatever moment I was taking in. Don’t obsess over getting the perfect shot; rather, obsess over the fact that you are doing something awesome that so many other will never be able to do. That will lock in all your memories forever.
我在那次旅途中照了上百张照片，但是我也认为有时应该关掉相机、静静站着、让自己完完全全融入当下所在的时刻。不要苛求完美的拍照，如其如此，不如迷恋于你现在做的就是很赞的事情这样一个事实，而别人可能永远都没有机会去做。那将在你的记忆中永远保存。
Being with a group 24/7 is hard.
做到时时刻刻随团并不容易。
It just is. Study abroad is typically a “small” group of 10-15 students, but that is a lot when it comes to coordinating meet-up times or trips in a foreign country. At the beginning of the trip I suggest sitting down with your group and talking through general expectations you each have for the group on a whole. My group was lucky enough to have some really awesome planners and go-getter’s when it came to weekend day-trips or our night festivities.
就是这样的。虽然同时留学的学生们是个典型的10-15个学生的小型团队，但是协调见面时间或是计划一起在国外旅行的时候，就会有很多问题。在旅程伊始，我建议你和团队中其他成员坐下谈谈你们各自对这个团队整体的大致期望。非常幸运的在我的团队中，对于周末和短期旅行或是夜晚欢愉活动都有很好的谋划师和执行官。
If you have the opportunity to travel now, take it.
如果你有机会先去去旅行，抓住它。
Because I’m 99.9% sure your future employer will not allow you to take off a month or more to simply travel abroad for your own enjoyment. That just won’t happen. If your program includes you staying with a family native to that country – go. Staying with a family is what sealed the deal for my trip to Italy. That is an opportunity I knew would never come around again.
因为我是99.9%的确定你未来的雇主不会允许你请假一个月或更多天仅仅去度假享受你自己的时间。不可能发生的。如果你的项目涵盖和在当地人家庭寄宿，一定要去。和当地家庭一起生活完全搞定了我的意大利之旅。而且那是个错过再也不会重来的机会。
Having experiences are just as important as reading books.
体验犹如读书般重要。
I could go on a random tangent about this opinion, but I think it is better to accept at face value. This opinion is one that I have always lived by. I will say that I have never regretted any “consequences” that have come from getting out into the world and getting my feet a little sore or my hands a little dirty.
关于这个观点，我可以从任何一个角度切入，但是我认为最好还是从表面价值上接受。这是我生活中一直认定的一个观点。我会说我没有后悔出去看世界的任何“后果”，走到脚跟微酸或是弄脏双手。
I would do this trip all over again in a heartbeat!
如果可以再旅游一次，我依然会怦然心动的再来一遍！
