To the delight of the family bank account, Richie decided he would head to Europe a few weeks before the official start of his Rome-based study abroad program in order to “find himself.” Resolving to really push his comfort zone, step out of the box, and learn more about other cultures, Richie, a native of Westchester, NY, set out hoping to learn something more about himself.
Starting in London and eventually trekking his way to Paris (via UberX), Richie had this to say about his weeklong, life-altering experience:
“Seeing all that history was amazing. Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, the leaning tower of Pisa. Incredible. Really exposing myself to these different cultures has really made me see how lucky I am. I mean, it took like 3 extra minutes to get my Americano at the Starbucks in London because they couldn’t understand my accent. I think I really understand how immigrants feel now. I even ran into trouble with my accommodations—in Paris, they delivered my room service an hour late, and it wasn’t even what I ordered. I think I’ve really grown as a human being and as a person.” *
Richie says he highly recommends travelling as a way to grow as a person, and strongly encourages everyone to go abroad before they graduate W&L.
*This quote was taken from Richie over Skype while he was in his room at the five-star Four Seasons hotel in London.
-Lex Jordan ‘19
The Radish 