Find home away from home – USAC Study Abroad News

Clemson University student starts a journey of making lifelong friends in Reggio Emilia

By Claire Gilhooly, USAC Reggio Emilia

While I was abroad in Reggio Emilia, Italy, I took communication classes toward my minor in communications at Clemson University. I also volunteered in a local preschool to observe the famous Reggio Emilia Approach to Education, which was extremely relevant to my Elementary Education major.

If it was not for University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC) and the many opportunities they provided, I would not have been able to do this. I was the only person from my university to attend this program and went in knowing nobody. While it was frightening at first, USAC and my Resident Director and staff did an amazing job making me feel at home in Reggio and they helped me connect with the other students in the program. I ended up coming back home with 26 new friends from all over America.

So, what is it like heading to a brand new country, where you don’t know a soul? Intimidating, to say the least. But looking back, I truly believe it was the best decision I’ve ever made — one that not only altered my life, but is reshaping my future in ways I never expected.

My journey with my fellow strangers began the moment we met at the Bologna airport, where — as if the universe was testing us — none of our luggage made it with us. In that instant, my fears about being the only one who didn’t speak Italian faded away quickly. As we stood in a chaotic line to fill out lost luggage forms — written entirely in Italian — I realized that we were all in this together. The awkwardness of being strangers quickly turned into a shared bond.

By the time we boarded the bus to Reggio Emilia, we’d swapped introductions; sharing where we were from and what schools we attended. The nerves and excitement about the next four months filled the bus. I had never met a person from Idaho, Washington, Nevada, or Maine before! I knew I was going to learn a lot about Italy, but I had no idea I was going to learn more about America.

Our first shopping trip came much sooner than expected. After we checked into our hotel that night, some of the girls walked over to H&M to buy some clothes for the upcoming USAC dinner. We all knew the airplane sweatpants weren’t going to cut it for the Italians and our luggage was still in Germany.

Let me tell you, there is no better way to bond with a group of random women than exploring a European H&M for the first time.

The clothes were cute, the prices shockingly cheap, and everything seemed like a whole new world compared to what we had back home in the States. We marveled at the selection, joking about how we could practically buy the entire store, and for a brief moment, it felt like we’d known each other our whole lives. We were ready for dinner ­— and more.

That night, after having the best pizza of my life after a long day of travel, I went to bed thinking, “Is this real? Am I dreaming?” I had just been dropped off in a country thousands of miles from everything familiar, surrounded by dozens of other college students who didn’t know each other. It felt like a scene from a movie.

As the semester unfolded, we strangers quickly became close friends. We spent so much time together grocery shopping, grabbing coffee before class, and cooking meals in our cooking class. It felt like we were living in a small bubble where everything was new, exciting, and a little bit chaotic.

Because the program was smaller, the classes were tight-knit and I ended up having a class with nearly every person. Our discussions were always personal and engaging, and with class sizes ranging from 10 to 15 people, we were encouraged to really connect — not just with the material, but with each other.

It wasn’t just the classes that brought us closer; it was the little moments like struggling to decipher a menu and trying to figure out if we were headed in the right direction on the bus. We laughed at our language mishaps, learned to embrace the beauty of imperfect Italian pronunciations, and made memories in every corner of the small town.

Looking back, it’s clear to me now: the people you meet when you study abroad are the ones who turn the experience into something unforgettable. They’re the ones who help you navigate the unknowns, share in the triumphs, and laugh through the confusion. In my case, these fellow travelers weren’t just classmates. They were a support system: a group of people who made an entirely new world feel like home.

These friendships, born out of initial awkwardness, travel stress, and plenty of miscommunications, became some of the most important relationships of my life. They were the unexpected treasure of my study abroad experience. Even though our paths may have diverged after the semester ended, I know that these connections and memories will last a lifetime. Now, not only do I know people from Maine, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, and California, but I can proudly say I have friends in all those places.