Italy is known worldwide for its amazing culture and cuisine, and Sicily is no exception. One of the main reasons I decided to go to Sicily is because of that reason. Growing up I had been a pretty picky eater and have gotten a little better as I matured. However, I still have those root tendencies sometimes. A lot of our meals in Sicily were all together, and we didn’t order what we wanted, it was more so you get what you get kind of deal. I was fine with this until we had the first food that was sketchy to me. They gave us an eggplant lasagna, and I was very weary. I decided to try it because I was hungry and didn’t want to insult the cook, and I was impressed. It tasted great, and I never would have expected that. I even ended up ordering it when we went out to eat on our own.

I continued to be impressed with foods I was timid with, and it was great. However, we had one day that was all seafood. I grew up in the middle of the Midwest, so I was never exposed to any good and fresh seafood. They gave us whole fried fish, octopus tentacles, mussels and tuna pasta. I was lowkey so grossed out, but I knew this was something I needed to push through and try. With the encouragement from the close friends I had made, I tried it all. I wish I could say I loved it, but I was not a fan. However, that didn’t matter to me, I was just proud of myself for taking that step.

Thanks to this program and these friends, I was pushed out of my comfort bubble and experienced even more of the culture that I never could have before. My younger self would be both shocked and impressed by me traveling to a new country by myself and trying all these new exotic foods.

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: Sicily: Crossroads in the Mediterranean