1. In what ways have I changed?
I think that the more important changes will be more noticeable when I return home in a week, but what I can say now while I am still here is that I have grown more as an independent woman. I feel that I can do things on my own and I am truly proud of the person I am. I realized how blessed I am for everything that has come my way since being here. My English has improved and according to John Rose I smile a little bit more than when I arrived. Perhaps I smile more because I feel as though I have a second home and family with these people in this wonderful city. Maybe I smile more because I am truly at peace in my life, and while that may not be an obvious change to some I feel it within myself and it is so nice to be genuinely happy.
2. In what ways might my friends and family have changed?
If my parents changed while I was gone, it was letting go of their “baby girl” a little bit more. I think that being away from home for so long has allowed them to watch be become more independent, or at least I hope it has. I hope my friends have changed their opinions on me. Not in a bad way of course, but in a way that makes them respect me more for having left all that I know to come to Italy for an entire semester. I hope that my good friends realize how important having a friendship with me is, because I have certainly come to appreciate a couple specific friendships with people while being abroad.
3. How would I like my friends and family to treat me when I return home?
I would like my friends and family to treat me as they did when I left. I want my parents to trust me and the decisions I make, while being supportive in what I do. I want my friends to continue being a support system as well. One thing I would like my friends to remember when I return is that while I am so happy to see them and be back, leaving here was not easy (this hasn’t happened, but I know it will be hard!). I hope that they all respect me, just as I hope they did before I left. Either way, returning home will cause many bittersweet emotions. No picture or blog can truly explain the amazing experience I have had here in Sansepolcro to the people back home in Laurinburg and Raleigh.
4. What am I looking forward to the most? The least?
I am looking forward to seeing my parents and being at my house again. I want to help my mom and exercise with her, and also learn how to cook some really good food for our whole family. This will benefit all of us and also keep me busy. I look forward to making my parents finally clean the house so that we can then paint the house. All of those things at my house will help me forget what I’m not looking forward to and that is being back in Laurinburg. I’ve learned that I have left a certain part of my life there, so when I go back to it I get this bad feeling sometimes. I am happy to be around the good friends I have at home whom I missed all this time and also seeing my friends in Raleigh before they go home for the holidays. I get to see the beautiful mountains of North Carolina I have missed so dearly and drink as much sweet tea as I want, and that is pretty exciting. I am sure that in the midst of doing all of these things and reconstructing life in the states I will be missing Italy and all I must leave behind here.
5. What are the lessons that I have learned that I never want to forget?
I never want to say “like” as much as I did upon arriving in Italy, nor do I want to use “me” improperly in sentences. I must smile more, because usually even when I’m frowning I am happy. These are the lessons I have learned from John Rose and Dr. Webb, but there are many more from them and everyone else I have been around these past 3 and a half months. I have learned about the gift of time, and that if we don’t take such as a precious gift it will slip away. These past 16 weeks have come and gone faster than I can even imagine, and this time has helped me to not be so concerned about things in the future, but rather savor the precious moments with the people I share them with. I have also learned that people learn from experience and this experience has taught me only a few of the lessons I have left to learn. I have realized that things will fall into place as they should, that the people that really care about you will always be there even when you’re thousands of miles away, and that I am a strong and independent person. I really shocked myself with all that I learned and have been able to do on my own, and I am sure that when I return home I will see these changes more. I thank Italy for allowing me to learn that a simple, yet beautiful afternoon with good friends is what simple joy is. I am been so full of joy here, and I have learned the true meaning of being joyful.
6. What are some skills I have learned?
I have learned how to travel in a foreign country. I learned Italian more as the weeks went by, but I also learned that I must not be scared to ask questions to get to where I want or to get what I want. When Sam, Vi, and I were in Rome we asked about 4 people about taking the bus, but I was so happy we asked so many questions because we learned so much about the public transportation. The more questions you ask the more you can learn. I asked two Germans on the train one weekend where they were from, and by the time they got off the train I had learned how to count in German. I have learned time management, and that having a plan is important but being able to completely abandon a plan is alright as well. I think that the skills I now have for traveling will extend out into other aspects of my life, which will continue to challenge and teach me more.
7. Many say that re-entry shock is more challenging than initial culture shock. What are some things that I might do to make the transition easier?
Going home is going to be especially hard for me because I know that I will have to leave what has become another home here in Sansepolcro. I have new friends, a host family, and a new way of living daily. While it will be a challenge, I hope to accept that I am going back home because this journey is supposed to be ending so that another one can begin. If I stay busy with all the things that I have planned to do when I get back than I will know that home is where I am supposed to be until I return to Raleigh. I think accepting that you are where you’re supposed to be at any given moment is in itself the best thing to do. If I know I am supposed to be helping my parents paint our house or if I should be hanging out with the friends I have missed so much, then adjusting won’t be as challenging. As I put together the pictures and accidently use Italian phrases with my American friends I will wish I was back in this place, but small moments like that are acceptable because I think it’s important to have something to miss in the places you have been.
8. What have been the important things about this study abroad experience that I want to share with family and friends?
I think that the things I want to share are the things that I want people to actually see in me when I return home. I want them to see a content young woman who is satisfied with the life she is living and overjoyed to have had an amazing experience such as this. I want the people at home to SEE that these past few months have been some of the best times of my entire life, which have taught me how to be joyful in the simple moments. I hope they see the independence I have gained, because that is something very important which I have learned here. I want to share the friends I have made and memories I will keep close to my heart. The memories and people are the things I will have to physically share, but the other things I will take away from this experience are things that I hope can be seen.
9. What do I want to do with the experiences I’ve had?
I would like to continue to study Italian, which I am doing by taking Italian at NC State next semester. I will have this class with Vi, whom I spent the entire semester with here in Italy. That will be refreshing for us both because in the midst of everything else happening, we can remember Italy during our Italian class. I also want to continue to learn by experience, whether it be simply in Raleigh or by studying abroad again. I know that there is so much more to learn about the city of Raleigh, and I want to get all out of it that I can like I did here in Sansepolcro. I want to study abroad again because after learning all I have here, I know going away again could give me another chance to learn more. I’ve been dreaming of going to South Africa for a few years now and I can’t even begin to imagine the opportunities that lie ahead in such a place for me. I think what I would really like to do with the experiences I had in Italy is take them to my next experience and learn even more!
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