I have known since my first year of college that I wanted to study abroad in Italy.
In the weeks leading up to my flight, I found it more and more challenging to find excitement for this opportunity within all the anxiety. Over time, I had collected a variety of opinions and perspectives about study abroad culture before I left in January, but it was a similar script each time. It’s going to be the best experience of your life, it’s going to be unforgettable, you will come back as a whole new person.
My expectations of studying abroad in Italy were not only mountains high, but somewhat unrealistic. I expected overly romanticized depictions of Tuscan trees, espresso, red and white checkered tablecloths, wine with every meal, and gelato stands at every corner. As if I would walk down the street on my way home from class and see a Lady and the Tramp sharing a plate of spaghetti with a chorus of Italian musicians singing love songs. Or maybe I would travel to Cinque Terri accompanied by Luca from the Disney animation film, or run into Timothee Chalamet in the fields of Tuscany. My expectations were polluted with unrealistic pop culture depictions of Italy. Now after living here for four months, I can confirm the magic and charm of Italy truly does live here, but to expect so much from a place is unfair.
Before I left in January, there seemed to be an unspoken guarantee of a deep connection between the traveler and the location of Italy itself, and I was so excited to see it all for myself. Was it really going to be like the ideals America had promised? Will I leave forever changed?
I was even more excited to explore the country and the language as a means of connecting with a piece of my own identity. Both my grandparents on my mother’s side are Italian, so I can recall growing up with pieces of Italian culture woven into the traditions and practices of my childhood. Italian culture lived within the food we ate at Christmas dinner, the phrases my mother spoke, the stories my Papa told, and the songs he would sing when I was young. I even recall proudly marching around my middle school with an Italian and Cuban flag on Heritage day, showcasing my cultural identity, and becoming aware of my family’s roots.
Although I had never traveled to Italy before coming to Florence, I’ve had pieces of Italian culture with me all my life. So it was with great expectations and excitement that I boarded the plane, anxiously waiting to see if I would feel at home with everything I was about to encounter.
But then I broke down one week in, wanting to go home, and feeling scared to explore. I felt guilty and ashamed. I’m supposed to be having the time of my life. Why am I homesick? The truth is, expectations are hard to avoid, especially when we have a thousand voices in our head urging us to explore. The more we rely on those voices and depictions of our destination to determine the course of our experience, the less meaningful the trip will be. There comes a time where we need to simply experience and live, instead of relying on other people’s experiences to determine how ours will go. The only experience we can have is our own, and when we realize that, then we can truly have an authentic and meaningful time abroad.
Whether you’ve studied abroad before, you have a crowd of people in your ear urging you to go, or you’re scared of leaving home, here are a few of my favorite memories and lessons I’ve learned from my time in Florence so far.
- Traveling shows you that your current life is not the only possibility. There is quite literally a world of experiences waiting for you, the first step is to branch out, even if you do it scared.
At home I relied on a very simple routine, but being in Italy has shown me the importance of slowing down. After living in New York my whole life, being surrounded by the fastest walkers I’ve ever encountered, Italy felt like I was moving in slow motion, but I learned to love it. Purposefully slowing down, taking in my surroundings and walking intentionally greatly impacted my mood.
2. Any sort of assumptions or biases you have about Italy, get ready to leave them at the doorway of the plane, before you step on.
I few weeks in I found myself incorrectly guessing that. However, people are still living fast pace lives here, and to group Florence or Italy in general as an old city, stuck in the past, full of ancient ruins and antique sculptures, isn’t the only thing that makes Florence so great. There are numerous parks, the beautiful arno river, and people here who are innovative and creative. It’s not just full of older
- Being surrounded by so much culture is such a privilege and makes you excited to research and learn more.
Walking down the street on my way to class or to my apartment feels like a journey through the past. I’m so surrounded by beautiful landmarks like Palazzo Signoria, Ponte Vecchio, and of course, the Duomo. It’s beautiful to experience such a different walk than at home, because at school it’s not too often I pass historical monuments, aside from maybe Wegmans or the Textor Ball. What made these landmarks so special, wasn’t just the enormity of them, but the way it inspired me to ask questions.
- Don’t focus or rely on the typical “scripts” or “uniforms” that populate your social media feed. Going into my experience abroad I was under the impression there were certain things I had to buy or certain trips I had to do because that was just the expectation. It’s important to do more research than you think is needed
Studying abroad, or traveling in general, is such an important opportunity. It allows you to grow and move through uncomfortable and unfamiliar situations.
The truth is, sometimes you’re having the time of your life: eating the most delicious plate of pasta, surrounded by Italian music, and walking home through the crowded streets brimming with street performers. But just like anywhere else, some days you’re crying on the phone with your mom, filled with exhaustion, only having the energy to boil water for pasta in your kitchen and go to bed at 8pm.
With the inevitable cultural challenges that accompany the study abroad experience, there is so much to appreciate, and habits I want to integrate into my life back home. I’ll be leaving Italy with a newfound appreciation for long walks after a meal, formally greeting shopkeepers and employees, eating dinners as a group or family instead of by myself, and casual drinking culture, instead of an intense one. Not only will I be more likely to travel again, but I will be even more excited to do so; to continue this cycle of immersing myself within cultural contexts, facing these challenges, and ultimately growing from them.
I’ve firsthand recognized the anxious desire that settles in as I pack for my flight home. Am I changed? Am I a new person the people from home promised I’d be? I can recognize the small habits of mine that have changed, but maybe I won’t fully realize what this experience means to me and how it’s shaped me until a few months go by, or maybe even years. And that’s what makes studying abroad such a beautiful experience. It continues to shape you even after you’ve left, and that’s something that will always excite me.