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February 5th may not always be a significant date, but it is for me this year.
It means that an entire year has gone by since I hopped on a plane and flew to Italy to live for three months.
I’m still a little bit surprised that I took that plunge, but I’m so glad I did. There is something special about leaving home to study or live that far away.
I think everyone who gets that chance should take it.
 I knew I'd end up in Italy someday, but I was picturing a one or two week vacation.
What I got in the end was something that couldn't be found in that amount of time.
My every day life, from sun up to sun down, from toothpaste to transportation, was completely immersed
in a culture so different from my own. I got to visit cities all over Italy, gape in amazement, and take
pictures like the typical tourist. But when the sightseeing was over, I got into the nitty gritty of every
day life. I had to find a train that went back to my town, ask directions from someone who doesn't speak
English, buy groceries in a store that carries food I'd never seen before, put money on my cell phone, walk
to class across the bridge, study for my test, and clean my room. The weekends gave me the opportunity to
travel anywhere I wanted in Europe, and it was up to me to get on a computer and make every arrangement from
the taxi to the plane to the hotel. Italians would come to our class and teach us Italian language, history,
and culture. A famed architect and scholar walked with us around Rome and showed us things that someone
passing through the city would never see. I met and interacted with Italians from Milan in the North to Naples
in the South, and I saw for myself the huge difference between the two regions. I saw the anguish and the joy
on the Italians' faces as their Pope passed away and a new one was elected. I met so many incredible people
who speak multiple languages and love nothing more than to share a part of themselves with American students. I'll never be able to put into words to share with others the things I saw and the things I did while I
lived in Ariccia, Italy. I wish I could. I wish I could go back and do everything over and over again. I get
so sad when I think too long about it and realize that my time as a resident in Italy is done. A once in a
lifetime experience really only comes around once. However, a part of me will always be over there and with the
wonderful people I came to know.
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