Pre-Departure

Where to?

In a little less than a month I will be flying to Italy and living in Rome for an entire semester. I have probably said that exact sentence a million and two times this summer; but, it has not sunk in for me just yet. Honestly, I do not think it will be real until I am on my way to JFK. 

I have wanted to study abroad since my senior year of high school. For the longest time study abroad was the only definite thing in my four year plan. I went to Italy for ten days in high school and fell in love. I saw all the sites, but I never was able to truly experience the culture. Although the thought of leaving my friends, family, and Stonehill for over four months is intimidating, I know that this is the right decision. I will miss everyone dearly, but this is not permanent. I will be back. I hope that I will return not necessarily changed... but grown up. I realize that I will have to cook on my own, find my way around a new city, use different means of transportation, meet new people, and figure out the easiest ways to travel around Europe. I do not know if I'm ready, but I have accepted the fact that this will probably be the most challenging time of my life. From what I hear the experience is completely worth it.

Five things to look forward to...

1. Traveling Italy, traveling Europe: It has always been a dream of mine to travel throughout Europe. There is so much history in each country, especially in Italy. I mentioned earlier that I have already been to Italy once, but I promise you it was one of the most beautiful places I have every seen. Many of my Stonehill friends are traveling abroad this semester as well. Alex (My JCU roommate) and I have already started a list of all of the places we want to visit while in Europe: Barcelona, Paris, London, Prague, etc. I have at least one friend staying in each country, so it will hopefully be easy to see the sites and have a place to crash for free.
2. Food: For those of you that do not know me, I love food. I cannot wait to be reunited with gelato, but I also look forward to trying new things. I'm sure by the end of my stay in Rome I will only be able to afford pasta and wine-- not that I am complaining! I am not the biggest fan of both of these things, but I think I will be able to manage.
3. Experience: Having taken Italian for four years in high school and taking three semesters at the advanced level in college will only enhance my background knowledge of the country's language and history. It is one thing to visit the country for a week, but it is completely different to actually live in Italy for four months of my life. The culture, the people, the customs are going to be unlike anything that I am used in the US: I am going to be walking everywhere, I have to pick up fresh food nearly every day, I need to hang dry my clothes, I need to be conscientious of pick-pocketers. It is definitely going to be an adjustment.
4. Meet new people: I have joined all of the groups on Facebook associated with API Rome and I have seen all of the names of the people that will be coming on this trip with me. It's hard to believe that some of these people are going to be my best friends for the next semester, maybe longer. When I am abroad I want to try to get involved by joining a club or two with JCU and possibly even doing some community service. It is one of my main goals to get to know the community I am living in and the people who I will be sharing my experiences with.
5. Growing up: This is kind of a scary one. I am going to be doing a lot of things on my own next semester. Things that I would normally not have to think twice about are going to be the most difficult tasks just because I will not know where to go, who to speak to, or even how to speak to someone. One main purpose of this trip is for me to learn more about myself. Hopefully, by the end of it I will be able to confidently say that I can live and survive on my own. Stonehill is one of my favorite places to be, but let's be honest college is not real life. Studying abroad is just as much about growing up as it is about having fun.

Five things I am worried about...

1. Being Pick-pocketed. If anyone was going to be mugged it would probably be me. My family and friends have always said that I lack street-smarts. Personally, I like to give myself a bit more credit than that...but I can see where they are coming from. I really just do not want anything to be stolen. I have heard of apartments being broken into, theft on the street, and in hostels. Awareness is going to be key in Rome. As long as I am aware of my surroundings and keep my bag in front of me I am hoping I am going to be fine.
2. Missing Friends and Family. This is an obvious one. My family and my friends mean everything to me. To not be around them all the time for an entire semester is going to be hard. I have gotten closer to a lot people this past summer and I cannot believe that I have to leave so soon. I am going to do my absolute best to remain in contact with everyone from home, but at the same time I realize that I need to step outside of my comfort zone and not rely on things like Skype or Snapchat 24/7. I am going to be meeting new people, but those I am leaving at home are still going to have a major impact on my experience abroad.
3. Cooking. As excited as I am for all of the food that I will be eating in Europe, I cannot forget that I am going to need to cook a lot of it. Luckily, Alex's dad is a chef so she has some skills in that department. This past summer I have been cooking on my own as well, so I think I will be able to survive. It will be different. I am not sure how my kitchen is set up (assuming I have one) and I know that I will have to go shopping more frequently than I am used to going now. Once I get a budget I will feel better about myself.
4. Getting Lost. Again, this has to do with street smarts (or my lack there of). I will admit I have no sense of direction...at all. Maybe I will somehow learn my way around Rome, but if I am being honest I still do not know my way around the mall. The fact is that I am going to have to ask for help and I am okay with that.
5. Change. This is what I am most nervous about. I am not necessarily afraid of leaving and being away for just a few months, but I am afraid of my return. Although I know that I will gain new perspective on many different things while I am abroad, I do not want this to change my feelings towards things at home. More importantly, however, I do not want people to forget about me. This may be selfish and even sound silly, but I am not going to be around for four whole months. That is a long time. I am worried that I am going to come back and nothing is going to be the same.  I want everything to remain exactly how I left it, but that seems unrealistic. I will not be seeing some of my best friends for the entire year. Several of them will be leaving for their study abroad program as soon as I get back from mine. Junior year is going to be one of the best years of my life, but I also have a feeling it is going to be a "lost year."  I can only hope that when I do experience any change, it is only for the better.