The regional study tour at the beginning of this program seemed to split clearly into two sections. The first couple of days were spent mostly in Montenegro, although we began at Kruje Castle in Albania. Most of our time in Montenegro was spent seeing the old town sections of both Ulqin and Kotor, and visiting the beaches. Although Ulqin was absolutely beautiful, and I have one of a kind memories from our time there, Kotor blew me away.
I fell in love with everything about Kotor. I kept describing the view as sitting in a bowl of mountains. I loved the buildings, the people, the food, even the act of opening the window in the hostel (because I felt like a Disney princess in doing so). Every minute there was spent well. We saw the town and learned about its history and went to the beach several times. The night we spent in Kotor did not include ANY sleep, but it was filled with so many adventures. Dinner was amazing. I finally found good Caprese, we spoke with an English couple who was very excited about our study abroad program, and everyone at the restaurant was incredibly welcoming. After dinner, we explored the town some more and got to meet people from all over the place. We went back to the beach at night and got to talk to a bunch of people our age from England, Ukraine, and other areas.
We saw the town and learned about its history and went to the beach several times. The night we spent in Kotor did not include ANY sleep, but it was filled with so many adventures. Dinner was amazing. I finally found good Caprese, we spoke with an English couple, and every at the restaurant was incredibly welcoming. After dinner, we explored the town some more and got to meet people from all over the place. We went back to the beach at night and got to talk to a bunch of people our age from England, Ukraine, and other areas.
Then came 4am… we are crazy. We had originally decided to wake up at 4am for a sunrise hike, but instead, we just stayed up till 4am for a sunrise hike. The view at every point on the mountain was stunning. You could see the whole town, endless mountains, and endless water. Unfortunately, I had to listen to my knees and not go all the way to the top, but it is definitely a goal of mine to go back to Kotor and finish the hike.
The first couple days of the regional trip were also spent getting to know the group we were travelling with, and creating some very strong friendships. As a whole, our group functioned very well. I feel very lucky to be spending this time with such a great group of people. Although most of us are from RIT, we have students from all over, and with many different backgrounds. It has been interesting to learn about all of them while also learning about so many new places.