I am at last home, settled in, and recovered from jetlag (for the most part). My trip home was uneventful; the eleven hour plane ride from Rome to Atlanta went as fast as an eleven hour plane ride could go. The seat next to me was empty, so I ended up having two seats for the trip! Sarah and I were greeted at the Akron Canton airport by fourteen anxious people holding signs ranging from, “welcome home” to “GO BACK! , to drawings done by my two nieces. It was wonderful to see everyone there and even better to know how much we were missed. From the airport, everyone went back to Aunt Judi and Uncle Bob’s annual Christmas party, where I talked my vocal cords off about my trip.
I knew I would be asked countless times “So, how was your trip?”, so during my 22 hour trip back home I tried coming up with a short, but complete response to this question. I came up with nothing; there really is no short way of putting how it was. So as a forewarning have lots of time set aside if you plan on asking how my trip was, and want a complete answer!
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Initially, I was very apprehensive about studying abroad in Italy. My fears were that it would be too expensive, I would not be able to be away from my family for two months, and my daily routine of eating specific meals, working out, attending class, and studying, would be significantly disrupted. Regardless of my fears, I decided to go, and looking back now, it was the best decision I could have made. The irony of it is that my fears did all come true; I spent entirely too much money, ate an insane amount of pasta, had gelato one too many times, and probably didn’t spend enough time working it off, I never got enough sleep, and spent as little time studying as I possibly could. However, I would not trade this experience for the world, it is one I will never forget, and one I will always hold close to my heart.
As I look back on these past two months, it was the very least amount of time I have ever spent in actual classroom setting, however it was the most I have ever learned in a given semester. I learned more than the different types of mechanisms in Organic Chemistry, the difference between transcendentalism and anti-transcendentalism in Theology, and the definition of gender in Hispanic culture in Spanish, I learned things that will actually help me in my future career, things that I will remember forever. For example, my two month long shopping frenzy was not to simply blow my summers earnings, there was some educational insight to it as well. I discovered the meaning of a Euro, and the monetary difference which exists between the US dollar, the euro, and the pound. I uncovered my sense of direction when I navigated myself, and my fellow classmates through four different countries. I discovered I had more courage than I ever imagined, when I decided I could read an entire scripture passage in front of an Italian congregation. I learned the true meaning of the word strength in London when Sarah and I shared a bed in our hostel, and spent the entire night cuddled up in our scarves and coats because of the VERY drafty windows. I learned of the art of negotiating in Florence, while I talked the street vendors down three euro per scarf, and walked away with twenty scarves for the price of ten. The list could go on and on, but the point is that this trip has lead me to find things out about myself I would have otherwise never discovered. I found my passion for cultural diversity, and willingness to learn. I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity I had, and even more grateful for everything I have learned from it. This trip has not come to an end; in fact it is just the beginning.
