Study Abroad in Reggio Emilia, Italy

This May, I had the incredible opportunity to study abroad with the College of Education in Reggio Emilia, Italy! As an education major at Clemson, it's difficult to study abroad for an entire semester without graduating late due to field work and the way classes are structured so I am so glad that I was able to do a May-mester! I was there for nearly three weeks and had the incredible experience of visiting local preschools as well as shadowing in a third grade classroom.

In addition to shadowing in the schools, we learned a lot about the culture as well by taking Italian lessons, visiting a recycling center, and visiting a cheese factory! We also had free afternoons and weekends to visit different cities in Italy- we visited Modena, Florence, Parma, Cinque Terre, and Venice!

During our first week, we took a day trip to nearby Modena so the professors could show us how to ride the train. Modena was stunning and we had so much fun shopping, climbing up a tower to see the city, and, of course, getting gelato.

The program had a day trip to Florence planned for our first Saturday in Italy and since we had the afternoon before and the next day free, we decided to make a weekend out of it, which was so much fun! We had dinner in Florence on Friday and then walked around the Duomo, which is seriously stunning and you can't help but be amazed by it!

On Saturday, we grabbed breakfast before meeting up with the rest of the group for a tour of the city. Afterwards, we hit up the leather market and grabbed lunch before going on a wine tour. The wine tour was so much fun and we went to two different wineries with a stop at a stunning castle in between!

We went to the same breakfast spot Sunday morning and walked around for a bit before going to the Gucci Garden, which was such a cool museum. We then crossed the river and found a stunning rose garden with incredible views of Florence. We had truffle gnocchi for lunch, which was one of the best things I've ever eaten, and then did a cooking class where we learned how to make pizza and gelato before heading back home to Reggio!

We had the second weekend of the trip completely free so we went to Cinque Terre, which is one of the prettiest places I've ever been to! We stayed in La Spezia and took the train into the cities. We hiked, shopped around, had a beach afternoon, and took in all of the stunning sights!

During our last week, we took a day trip to Venice, which was absolutely stunning. We took a gondola ride around the city, took an elevator ride to the top of a building to see incredible views, and walked around and explored the city!

During our last full day in Reggio, we went to a parmesan cheese factory and it was so cool to see the process of how they make cheese! Plus, we got to sample some at the end of the tour!

We stayed with host families for the length of the trip and on our last day, my host sister took my roommates and I out for coffee and macaroons, which was such a fun way to end our time in Reggio!

Thanks for reading!

End of Sophomore Year Recap

After Thursday's post explaining why Chic in Carolina has been pretty quiet lately + my thoughts on blogging, I figured I should get y'all up to speed on everything that has been going on in my life lately. One of the major takeaways from my reader survey so far is that y'all love reading about what's going on in my life so grab a coffee and let's catch up!

The last posts on the blog were about Spring Break so a lot has happened since then!

similar sunglasses ⎢skort ⎢wedges ⎢hoops

Cookout for CASA

In early April, my sorority had our final philanthropy event, Cookout for CASA. I had the incredible honor of serving my sisters as Philanthropy Chair, meaning I was in charge of planning and organizing the event, and it was amazing to see the months of work come together for the event. We were able to raise over $23,000 for foster children in the Upstate of South Carolina and I am still amazed by my chapter's hard work alongside the support of our incredible alumni.

same style dress, different print (1 & 2) ⎢wedges ⎢similar sunglasses ⎢hoops ⎢apple watch ⎢bracelet

Clemson Spring Game

The day after Cookout for CASA was Clemson's Spring Game! My mom was in town for the philanthropy event so she treated my friends and I to brunch before she headed out of town that day. We then headed to the game for a bit before going to the baseball game and then to Chili's for dinner. My friends and I literally spent the entire day together and it's definitely one of my favorite memories from sophomore year!

this year's version of my top ⎢jean shorts (on sale!) ⎢cowboy boots ⎢apple watch ⎢bracelet

Theta's Last Ride

Right before my trip to Florida, I had my final sorority function (read this post for the back story on that). It was a two night function but I only went to the first night as I was in Florida the second night. The theme was Theta's Last Ride so everyone wore cowboy/western attire, which was so fun!

dress ⎢wedges (not pictured) ⎢apple watch ⎢bracelet

Easter in Florida

I took a quick trip to Florida to celebrate Easter with my family! It started off on the rocky side with my flight being cancelled and an unexpected night at home in Charlotte but it was great to see my family before the craziness of the last week of class and exams!

similar top ⎢similar shorts ⎢similar sunglasses ⎢jacks (on sale!) ⎢apple watch ⎢bracelet

Last Weekend in Clemson 

The last Friday before exams, my friends and I went to Smokin' Pig, the yummiest barbecue place near campus, and then went to the dikes to watch the sunset. We then went back to the hall to have game night and it was so fun spending time with my girls before we all had to leave for the summer!

Exam Week & Move Out

This year I only had three exams but they didn't start until Wednesday, which was a bit of a bummer (my roommate finished all of her exams before I even took my first one haha). Thankfully, I did well on all of them and it was soon time to head home to Charlotte!

I moved out on Friday and it was so bittersweet seeing my empty room (see it fully decorated here) and seeing the Theta hall for the last time!

leggings

Week at Home

After exams, I had exactly one week at home before my trip to Italy! I unpacked all of my stuff, put aside everything I'm bringing to my house for next year, nannied, worked out, and then packed for Italy!

Studying Abroad in Italy

I'll be sharing more on this but I had the incredible opportunity to study abroad in Italy for three weeks in May! It was through Clemson's College of Ed so I was able to shadow in local schools, which was amazing, as well as travel to different cities!

a mid concert, slightly blurry selfie haha!

Luke Bryan Concert

Just last weekend my roommate and I went to the Luke Bryan concert here in Charlotte! Rachel is from Raleigh so she came down to visit for the concert! I've been a Luke Bryan fan for years and he was amazing to see in concert!

Thanks for reading!

Long Time, No Talk but I'm Back!!

Well it's been a hot minute since I've last posted and even longer since I actually posted consistently on my little corner of the Internet. The last time we caught up was spring break, which honestly feels like a million years ago. This past spring semester was absolutely crazy for me as I took 18 credit hours (including 5 classes in a row on Tuesdays and Thursdays) and also was in charge of my sorority's philanthropy event for our final semester. When I got home for the summer, I planned on prescheduling some posts for while I was in Italy studying abroad and as luck would have it, my computer broke and had to be repaired at the Apple store (I had it on my bed, took a shower, and came back to the picture below...fun times!).

a snap from Italy! can't wait to share more soon

my outfit: similar tee ⎢similar scarf ⎢similar purse ⎢jeans (bought in Italy!) ⎢jacks ⎢similar sunnies ⎢watch ⎢bracelet

yeah this was fun to deal with

I'm now back from Italy and honestly, I've missed blogging so much. This past semester, I think part of my lack of inspiration to blog came from the pressure to keep up. We all know that Instagram engagement is down and honestly, it's so easy to get lost in the crowd of bloggers who seem to be doing the exact same thing and wearing identical sponsored outfits. That's not me at all but it's hard not to compare your blog and your work to others around you. It's hard to see others gaining followers (purchased or not) while you don't. In college, you have a million and one things going on and it's hard to be engaged on social media and come out with new content while keeping up with schoolwork, extracurriculars, hanging out with friends, and you know sleeping and eating. I also feel that my life isn't exciting enough to blog about it- I usually am wearing athleisure with no makeup on, which isn't exactly blog worthy!

I also feel like the girl who started this blog in 2015 during her sophomore year of high school is not the same girl writing this post in 2019. Of course, I still love my Lilly but I've definitely grown so much as a person (and more than simply including some Anthro and Free People into my wardrobe haha). In all honestly, high school Katie may have looked like she did it "all"- from working out to doing all of her homework to working to being super involved- but that came with a ton of stress that wasn't necessarily the healthiest. I've chilled out a lot since college (which may surprise some of my friends as I am still Type A) and honestly am so happy at college. I was at a Pure Barre class the other day and had not seen this instructor since I started college. She noted how much more confident I seem and I think that is just proof of how important it is to be somewhere where you're happy.

So I've come to accept that maybe I'm not the most inspirational blogger out there but that isn't why I started Chic in Carolina four years ago! Honestly, I try to write my blog posts as I'm talking to a friend about topics that are relevant to us- so maybe sharing what I wish I knew before college to a friend who is about to be a freshman or talking to my friends over coffee about a book I read lately or how much I love those new shorts I just splurged on. I hope that Chic in Carolina always comes off as real to y'all and not just a glossy version of my life!

So happy to be back and let me know if there's anything y'all want to read on the blog by commenting below or shooting me an email (chicincarolina@gmail.com) or slide into my DMs haha! If you could take a moment to fill out my reader survey as well, that would be amazing!

love always,

K

Disney Recap

Happy Monday friends! I am so excited to be sharing spring break recaps with y'all even if it was a few weeks ago now! This year, my roommate Rachel and I went to stay with my grandparents at their house in Jacksonville and we went to Disney for two days, which was so much fun! We did all four parks (plus Disney Springs) in 2 days and crossed practically every ride off of our list!

We drove down to Disney early in the morning on the Monday of our Spring Break so we could be there as close as to when Animal Kingdom opens. We made it fairly close to that point and decided to start of our day by doing the Safari ride. The long ride definitely tested our patience (haha) but it was fun. We then did Expedition Everest afterwards.

We then took the shuttle over to Magic Kingdom and walked around for a bit before riding rides! We practically did everything: Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, and Splash Mountain with of course stops for mickey ice cream pops!

my ootd: similar tank ⎢similar tennis skort ⎢sneakers ⎢similar fanny pack

We had a fast pass for Splash Mountain so that was our last ride of the day and we headed out before the fireworks to make it back to the car!

The next morning, we were up bright and early to grab Chick-fil-a breakfast before heading back to the parks. We hit Hollywood Studios first to ride the Rockin Roller Coaster as quickly as possible. Since we got there as soon as the park was open, the line was pretty short so we walked around the new Toy Story area before going to Epcot.

We then went to Epcot where we walked around, rode Soarin twice, rode Test Track, and ate some yummy food. The highlight? The macaron ice cream sandwiches in France!

Rachel had an interview so we headed back to our hotel so she could do that before going to Disney Springs for dinner. We walked around for a bit, ate, grabbed Sprinkles Cupcakes, and then drove back to my grandparents's house in Jacksonville.

Thanks for reading!

A Day in my Life: Spring 2019

One of my absolute favorite types of posts to read on other blogs is day in the life type posts. I don't know why but I find it so interesting to peek into other people's day-to-day routines! I figured it's only fair to share mine as well and I think it gives y'all a pretty good look into what my day looks like (for recaps of my weeks be sure to check out my "my chic week" posts!).

As many of y'all know, I am a sophomore Elementary Education major at Clemson University in South Carolina. The education department here at Clemson is really fond of scheduling all of our classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which gives me Mondays and Fridays off (!!!) but an absolutely insane Tuesday/Thursday schedule (5 classes in one day!).

Morning Routine

This is my first semester since my freshman year fall that I haven't had to take an 8 AM and honestly it is so nice to get a bit more sleep in the morning. I usually wake up around 8 (with maybe hitting snooze once or twice!) and then brush my teeth/wash my face/make my bed. Depending on the day, I'll do my hair (or call it a day and throw it in a ponytail haha) and then eat a quick breakfast with a cup of coffee. One of my friends and I both have class at the same time in the same building so we usually try and walk over together!

Class #1: Principles of American Education

My day starts with an education class and this one is pretty fun as most of my education friends are in it with me so we always sit together! Even though my Tuesdays and Thursdays are absolutely crazy, I have classes with my ed friends all day, which makes things a bit more exciting.

Class #2: Human Sexual Behavior

This class counts towards my Psychology minor and is pretty interesting to say the least. It is a lecture style class where the professor just teaches during each class meeting but the professor is pretty funny so the hour and a half usually goes by pretty quickly.

Class #3: Educational Psychology

Y'all may have noticed that lunch isn't in my schedule on Tuesdays and Thursdays as all of my classes are back to back. I usually back a lunch and eat it during this class but occasionally we'll get out early and I'll grab a "real" lunch haha!

Class #4: Intro to Special Education

After Ed Psych, I then head upstairs in the same building for Intro to Special Education (or SPED for short). This class is about the various types of disabilities that fall under Special Education and education practices to go along with each one.

Class #5: Social Psychology

My last class of the day is a psych one and focuses on various aspects of how humans engage with each other and why we essentially do what we do so it's pretty interesting even though I'm usually fairly tired at this point in the day.

After Class

After a long day of classes, the rest of my day usually differs! I usually call home while walking back from class to chit chat with my mom and to see what's going on at home. Since I don't have class on Fridays, this is the start of my weekend, which is always exciting! I'll usually head back to my room to hang out with friends or if it's a busy week, go to work on homework at the library or in Starbucks. Tonight, for example, I have a meeting for an organization that I am involved in but other nights, I'll spontaneously go to Target with friends or watch Grey's. I'm usually in bed by 11:30 and ready to start the next day!

What does a typical day in your life look like? Let me know in the comments!