My daily commute to class is something that makes even me jealous. When I was given my housing assignment the first day I arrived in Florence I was a bit panicked because it seemed so far away from the main school building and I was obviously worried that I would get lost in the labyrinthine streets of Florence. However, I quickly realized that it was not nearly as far as it seemed and while it took me a bit to get the hang of my commute without getting lost, once I did, I realized that it was a blessing in (not so subtle) disguise.

Mingqian Liu, originally from Beijing, China, graduated from the University of Iowa in 2011 with a degree in international studies and art history. Mingqian went on to earn a PhD in history from Texas A&M University with a concentration in historic preservation and museum studies before returning to Beijing. She now works at Beijing’s prestigious Tsinghua University as a public education fellow, developing art education programs for people of all ages.