This semester I am so incredibly lucky that I am studying abroad in Florence, Italy. I have been looking forward to the opportunity to travel to Europe ever since I was little, and the opportunity to study abroad in Italy since my sophomore year of high school. The study abroad program at Marist was one of the biggest reasons why I picked to go there. I worked with my advisor from day one (okay the second day of classes, freshmen year, but that’s pretty close to day one), and we scheduled studying abroad this semester into my four-year plan. I wanted to make sure that it would not prevent me from graduating on time. As the application process began to approach last year, I got more and more excited that my dream was about to become a reality, and all that was standing between me and this dream was one application. I answered all of the questions, got the necessary recommendations and signatures, and within a few days was officially accepted to spend 108 days in Florence. In my remaining few weeks on campus, I picked my classes, got all of my paperwork in order, filled out my housing information, and finally had to say “See you in August” to my friends. The last one was by far the biggest challenge of all; just ask anyone who witnessed one of these tearful goodbyes.
Over winter break, I enjoyed my time at home, and realized that my life at Marist would not be the only thing that I would miss while being abroad. As the oldest of three girls, my sisters and I are your typical siblings who fight and get on each other’s nerves sometimes, but we are incredibly close. I also have a strong relationship with my parents and I have never before gone longer than three weeks without seeing them. The reality that I was going abroad set in Christmas night when everyone was at my house exchanging gifts and I realized that for the next big holiday on the calendar – Easter – I would not be home. It was also that night that my aunt, who also happens to be my godmother, gave me two Alex and Ani bracelets – one of a compass and one of St. Christopher, the patron saint of travel. I spent the rest of my time home trying to soak up as many memories as possible before take-off.
My first day in Italy was mesmerizing; the sights, noises, and smells were everything I dreamed they would be and more. The week following was not exactly like that. My jet-lag set in, I had to go looking for the buildings where my classes would be, think about groceries for every meal, fill out my Permit to Stay paperwork, think about where I was going to travel to on my weekends and for Spring Break, and adjust to the fact that the world I had left behind was now 6 hours behind me. All of this was a bit of a shock to my system, but I became more and more comfortable each day.
Adjusting to the time difference was the biggest struggle for me. I would text my mom when I got up around 10 a.m., completely forgetting it was 4 a.m. for her, and she would not see it for at least another two hours! It was also an adjustment for my friends, because I would get a message from someone at 3:30 a.m. my time and when I would not respond for a few hours, they would ask what took me so long. I also had to come to the realization that the Super Bowl was going to be on at 2 a.m. and for the avid football fan in me that was crushing. Currently, the die-hard Yankees fan in me is incredibly thankful for MLB.com. I also needed to learn that when I woke up my Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook would be empty since everyone else was sleeping. These were all little adjustments looking back at the big picture and they are now things I do not give two thoughts to. As days went by and I began to travel, time started flying by. I went from wanting to Skype with my parents every single day to only being able to Skype them once a week. Same went for my friends.
As much as I am trying to completely immerse myself in the Italian lifestyle, it’s only natural that part of me is constantly wondering how things are in the US. I do talk to my parents every day and they make sure to keep me in the loop on everything going on with my family, around the area, and other news bits they think I will find interesting. I talk to my sisters throughout the week as well and they update me on how they are, what is going on at school, and how their various extracurricular activities are. As for my friends, some are better than others about keeping me in the know. There are some that I talk to everyday, some every week, and some only every once in a while. Some make the effort to stay in contact like I expected, some make more of an effort than I ever expected, and some unfortunately make less of an effort. They all make sure that if something major happens in one of their lives, I know about it. I try to ask what is going on in the everyday normal action on campus. I also am always asking out the major events of the weekend and how all of their classes and clubs are going. Even though they find that stuff boring, they tell me because they know how curious I am about that.
I love being abroad more than anything else and cannot picture not being in Florence right now. The experiences I am having, the places I am traveling to, and the memories I am creating I will cherish forever and are helping to mold me into the person I am growing to be. Italy is having a permanent impact on my life, but sometimes I enjoy just being reminded of everything I have waiting for me back home.
Photo credit: Kelly Voglio