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Published: February 5th 2018
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It’s been a week and two days since we arrived back in the United States. For the past three weeks, I was living 4,742 miles from home. Before studying abroad, I had never spent more than a week away from home, and the furthest I had been from home was Sarasota, Florida. Needless to say, it was difficult at times, BUT living in another country for three weeks was one of the most educational, interesting, and fun experiences I’ve had. I learned about the culture, the history, and the art in Italy; and I also learned a lot about myself.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always hated change: it’s always overwhelmed me. Even the thought of having to ride the bus to school instead of my dad taking me to school was enough to stress me out. I shared in my first blog post while in Italy that I was very overwhelmed upon our arrival. Everything was different. The second I sat down on my bed in our apartment, I thought to myself that I wanted to go home. I didn’t care if it meant navigating my way through airports by myself, I wanted to get back
home where the people, places, and language were familiar. The rational part of me told myself it would be okay, I just needed to give it a chance. The second day was another chance at embracing the foreign place and people around me…
And it was. The second day, I woke up ready to accept Italy with open arms. I was ready to learn about the history. I was ready to see the spectacular architecture. I was ready to make new friends. And most of all, I was ready to enjoy the incredible opportunity I had sitting right in front of me. I learned that even though something may scare you at first, you have to face it head on.
I would describe this experience as eye-opening and incredible. Being able to see and learn about the art gave me a much deeper appreciation for it. I also made so many new friends that I probably would have never gotten to meet if it weren’t for studying abroad. Looking back, I’m so happy that I decided to stay in Italy. I gained so many experiences that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I can’t wait to
tell my grandkids how I ran up an escalator that was going down, or that I literally broke a sweat trying to open a bottle of wine with my friend Hannah.
Although I am more comfortable at home, I want to travel again. I would like to visit Italy again, and spend more time in Rome and Siena. Then, I would like to travel to Spain, Ireland, Iceland, and Australia. I hope to visit Ireland with my parents because they’ve always wanted to go. I don’t think I would stay more than 10 days in each country though, because I would get homesick.
I do believe you can prepare for these experiences, however, unless you have been out of the country before or you are used to being away from home, I don’t think you will be fully prepared. I talked to my parents and my boyfriend a lot about being gone, and I knew my trip would go by in the blink of an eye, but it was still extremely difficult for me to say goodbye. I cried off and on the day we boarded our plane to leave for Italy, and in the last week there,
I cried tears of joy knowing I would get to see them in such a short amount of time.
If you’re studying abroad, here are a few tips: pack lightly (this is NOT that hard). I packed everything I needed, and some, and my bag leaving the U.S. was only 29lbs. I bought several souvenirs, but they were all smaller items, and left Italy with my bag weighing 32lbs. Another tip is to bring plenty of Tylenol extra strength with you, especially if you’re prone to migraines. And finally, my last tip is to embrace the beauty around you: don’t let fear keep you from letting your dreams come true.
Living in Italy for three weeks was an experience I am blessed to say I’ve had. And although I was ready to leave the second I got into my apartment, Firenze grew on me quicker than I thought it would. Leaving Italy, my new friends, and the wonderful people who showed us their beautiful city was much harder than I thought it would be. But they say that home is where the heart is, and my heart is in Kentucky, with my parents who provide unconditional amounts of
love and support, my brother who is witty and unpredictable, my boyfriend who always encourages me, and my sweet basset hound Daisy.
As I conclude this post, I want to say thank you to everyone who made this trip happen. Thank you to Dr. Bush, Mrs. Harrington, and Mrs. Kipp for keeping up with twentysomething college students, and for taking the time to get to know us. Thank you to Antonio, for always having inspiring words to share, and for showing us the beautiful city of Florence. Thank you to Mrs. Elizabeth Butler, for sharing your knowledge and appreciation of art and history with us. Thank you to Michael, for taking awesome pictures of us. And thank you to all of my new friends, who made me laugh until my stomach hurt, who gave me nicknames, and who sang Stacy’s Mom at the top of their lungs with me.
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