A pleasant surprise came when enrolling for Kent State Florence’s Storytelling in Tuscany class — a trip to Monte Carlo, Monaco. Our professor, Tom Jennings, is the CEO and creative director of 1895 Films in LA. 

Since Jennings was the head judge of non-fiction films, he was able to get his entire class front-row tickets to Monte Carlo Television Festival. The festival had an elegant dress code and red carpet waiting for special guests. 

I got to walk the red carpet in a burgundy lace dress and black stiletto heels. The lights, cameras and spectators left me starstruck. It gave me a rush of adrenaline and dopamine as I got to take it all in. The next two days of Monte Carlo were a cocktail of excitement, amazement and a little fear. Monaco is one of the richest countries per capita, so it was only natural for me to be scared of not belonging.  

I attended TV show premieres, discussion panels and got to travel around Monte Carlo. Watching the TV premieres was cool, but the Q&As with the directors and actors were incredible. It was one thing to see a series or film but to personally ask about that little spark of interest was on a whole other level. When I asked James Lafferty and Stephen Colletti questions and sparked a whole discussion on storytelling, it made me feel like I was on top of the world. 

 Monaco was one of the prettiest countries I have ever seen. Every corner was beautiful, filled with extravagant buildings and flowers everywhere I looked. The beaches shocked me in the best possible way. I threw off my sandals to take a step into the sand only to realize there wasn’t any sand, only tiny rocks. I continued forward even though every step I took felt like toy building blocks under my feet. I walked deeper and deeper all the way into the ocean and finally realized why they didn’t have any sand at all. The water was crystal clear; so clear in fact that I could see fish swim past my legs. Watching fish swim in the ocean right next to me in waist deep water didn’t feel real. 

The entire time I was in Monte Carlo it felt like I was in a different body. It was hard to grasp that I got to experience so many once-in-a-lifetime opportunities while being in an incredibly beautiful country. The greatest experience was bonding with my classmates during this trip. It is very cliché to say but the experience brought us together in a way I wasn’t expecting. Many of my classmates who I had never talked to before have become my friends, and I want to continue a friendship with them outside of Monte Carlo. We have bonded over our shared memories while on this trip. Monte Carlo will forever live in my head rent free.  

Travel Tuesday is a biweekly series following Harleyann McQuaid as she studies abroad in Florence, Italy. Contact her at [email protected].