Welcome to my Fall Semester of Junior Year- Pandemic Style!

 VENICE, FL 

2020 FALL SEMESTER  

Loyola University Maryland, or Should I Say Loyola University "Florida"... 

Hmmm where do I begin... Well, when I first came to Loyola as freshman in college I never would have suspected that my freshman year would have been my only "full" year of in-person college thus far. I never would have have thought that I would actually miss going to class so much. Most of all... I never would have thought that I would be living in a worldwide Pandemic. There was an abundance that I took for granted, but now I know- nothing is promised. I only was at Loyola my sophomore year for fall semester before getting sent home due to COVID-19. With that, my roommate and I decided to pack up our things and drive down to her house in Venice, FL. 

My roommates back yard at the house we resided in from August to November. 

Every junior at Loyola gets the privilege to have an opportunity to study abroad. Well, thanks to COVID-19 I was not lucky enough to be spending my semester abroad. Although everything happens for a reason I was still extremely sad, but I made the most of my situation and enjoyed my time in Florida. Even though Florida was only a 21 hour drive from my home in Massachusetts rather than a 13 hour plane ride to Budapest, Hungary I knew that I had to take what I could get. If you are intrigued in Budapest as much as I was I insist on you reviewing this article below to get the inside scoop on what I could have been doing! 

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/hungary/budapest

https://www.budapest.com

Ahhh Palm trees and warm breezes. Living in Florida was a time I will never forget. This experience was different than what many of my friends in states all over were experiencing. Florida during the pandemic was like no other because many areas in Florida did not enforce guidelines like other states. Personally I followed all safety guidelines, but I did see some without. I spent most of my time on the beach, doing school work, trying new foods and traveling around visiting beautiful areas. One of my favorite activities was riding my bike down the road to the beach and watching the sunset. 

Golden Beach: Venice, FL. 
Kasey Key: Nokomis, FL.
Golden Beach: Venice, FL.
Boat Cruise: Sarasota, FL.

My favorite and most exciting experience that took place while I was in Florida was when I went skydiving. September 2020 my roommate, and I decided we wanted to go skydiving. It was definitely a tough conversation to have with our parents, but when we got them on our side it was awesome. Skydiving was an experience that I will never forget and an experience that is unexplainable. We were required to wear a mask while enduring this journey and we were required to stay in the car until it was our time for training and then take off. That was completely okay- all we cared about was getting up there and jumping safely. I was up in the clouds about 13,000 feet high for approximately 15 minutes! Riding up in the tiny plane was the scariest part for me, looking down and having my ears pop was my biggest concern. I was far more concerned about that than I was on actually jumping out of the plane, free falling, and trusting someone that I met 30 minutes prior with my whole life! I am beyond glad that I did because it was an experience that will live on forever!  

If you're ever in the Punta Gorda area of Florida check out 'Skydive SouthWest Florida' http://www.skydiveswflorida.com/index.htm

 Me enjoying the view. 
Me smiling at the GoPro 13,000ft up. 
Me on my way to land on the ground coming from the sky. 

Me right after I landed, safely.



Location: Venice, FL, USA

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