About the Study Abroad:
In my sophomore year of college at BYU, while studying Art Education, the opportunity came to go on a six week study abroad tour of European museums and cathedrals. I was very excited to go and figured some fancy financing to fund my trip. I budgeted $400 for food and the tuition would cover hotel, museum fees, airfare, and bus cost (about $3000). Two weeks after signing up I found myself engaged, but I was still determined to go on the study abroad. We set our wedding date for nine days after I returned. On May 5th, I kissed my fiance goodbye and boarded a plane with 20 other single girls and headed for Rome. While I enjoyed terrific sites, my mother and fiance finished planning wedding details, mailed invitations, and waited for late night calls from me.

The first few days in Italy were somewhat of a culture shock since I was expecting hotel rooms to look like an American Marriott and wasn't quite sure how to maintain personal hygiene with the toilet, sink, and shower all within a three foot room. I got used to the rustic atmosphere and enjoyed early morning jogs through cobblestone streets, lunches in cafes with a sketchbook in hand, and the hours of walking through every museum in Rome, Venice, Florence, Munich, and on and on. I maintained my student budget of $400 for food by thinking about my upcoming wedding and eating a roll for breakfast, gelatto for lunch, and pizza for dinner. When we crossed the English Channel, we added LDS Church History sites to our art tour, as my university was religiously affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. View my sketchbook for a journal of events through Europe's museums and cities.