Now looking back at the weeks before I moved to Florence, I remember reading countless articles to try and prepare myself for what I was about to be doing. I was about to embark on one of the greatest journeys of my life they told me, so I wanted to make sure that I was well prepared. But none of those articles could even come close to explaining the feeling of studying abroad.
The first couple of weeks were probably the most overwhelming weeks of my life. I wanted to do so much and see so much. Ever since I was a little girl that’s the way I’ve been. I was always asking my parents or my older brother, “Can we go do something?” I never wanted to be bored or sitting still. I wanted to go see the world, even if it was just to go walking around my neighborhood. My grandparents would always sit me down and tell me all about their lives in Cuba before it became communist and they had to leave. It’s amazing though, how the lifestyle and customs they always told me about, is very similar to the lifestyle and customs I am experiencing firsthand here in Italy.
One of the most common phrases all Americans hear before, or even during, their time abroad is this thing called culture shock. I waited about two weeks for the whole “honeymoon phase” of abroad to be over, but still felt nothing. No shock, whatsoever. It’s been 3 months now, and I still haven’t felt this thing. I have a complete change of lifestyle since I’ve been here, but it definitely wasn’t culture shock. Maybe it’s because I grew up in a very Hispanic family in Miami. Maybe not, though. Instead, I rather just call this phase of my lifestyle change an ever-evolving process. Throughout these four months, I have become a different person with no boundaries, no comfort zones. Skydiving in Switzerland was something I did without even contemplating it. Everyone and everything is fair ground, and I want to be immersed in it all.
At the same time, though, I still had to get used to living in another country. First thing I had to get used to: my living space. I moved into an apartment that was right on the street of the leather market. If you’ve never been to Firenze, the leather market is a very central area that attracts tourists and locals alike. You know that devilish trick that Cinnabon has in American malls of having its sweet scent into the corridor outside the shop, so that anyone within a 100-foot radius is compelled to follow the smell to the source and then, before you know it, you’ve got a giant Cinnabon in your hands? You know that feeling? Where a smell is so intoxicating that it makes you do things? That is the effect that the San Lorenzo Leather market has on every person. Lucky for me, I’m practically immune to the smell by now, but for anyone who makes a visit to my apartment, they always end up with at least one leather purchase. It’s a long street where you can find tons of vendors with booths full of all types of leather accessories. The big, wooden door leading to my apartment is right on the corner. However, you have to climb up six flights of stairs to actually get to my apartment. There are rarely ever elevators in Europe – I instantly had to adjust to the European lifestyle on my first day.
This next adjustment is pretty obvious: Being surrounded by native speakers and being forced to speak a foreign language on a daily basis can make a lot of difference. Growing up bilingual, both English and Spanish were native to me. This was the first time in my life where I had to study to be able to communicate with other people. I interacted with locals every day, and practiced everything I learned in my Italian 101 class. The best part is that I got to know the territory beyond what the textbooks offered me in class. I had the opportunity to observe how locals engage with each other, instead of only hearing an awkward-sounding, heavily edited tape. I now know how to order my Cappuccino and chocolate croissant in the morning, and even how to ask where the cheese is at the supermarket. Parlo Inglese e Spagnolo, e un poco di Italiano. (I speak English and Spanish, and a little bit of Italian).
Now to the good stuff – Italian food. Besides the usual pizza and pasta, I’ve tried dishes I would have never imagined existed here in Italy. When did I actually ever think I would love cow liver and stomach? Yes, I do love it. I get a traditional “Trippa” sandwich from the Central Market every Wednesday before my Fashion class. I’m so glad that I won’t go back home into familiar tastes of Burger King grilled chicken sandwiches. I’ve been taking Italian cooking classes while I’ve been here also, so I plan on making all the recipes I’ve learned as much as possible. I already started when my parents visited and I made them Seafood Risotto!
My parents were not only surprised with how much I’ve learned in my classes, but how much I’ve learned traveling. I wanted to remember every place I visited while I was abroad, so I have been collecting patches from every single one. When I get back home, I’m going to stitch all of my patches on to a jean jacket. But with each patch I collect, I’ve also been collecting memory patches of each of those cities and countries. When I look at my Prague patch, I see this unbelievably unique city full of buildings that look like a fairytale. When I look at my Berlin patch, I see this city and country that is full of history and importance. When I look at my Dublin patch, I see this beautiful place full of the happiest and friendliest people I’ve ever met. The same theme goes with all the other 18 patches I have so far. I’ve not only learned about parts of the world, but I also learned about the people who live there. Most importantly, I learned about myself. I now see myself in a way that I have never seen myself before. Being alone in a new city is the best wakeup call one can have. Being open-minded relies heavily on being constantly introduced to different varieties of the same thing. I now am able to understand that some of the simplest things, things that we may very well take for granted, like getting ice cubes in your drinks, are done differently elsewhere.
Being abroad has helped me not look to my past, and not look to my future. But instead look at the present, and feel that sense of awe and wonderment of the world. I’m consciously deciding to create the possibility for such moments to occur. By living in Florence for an extended period of time, I’ve really been able to see how other people and cultures think. It’s helped me realize that we, Americans, need to throw away our to-do lists. We need to learn how to live life as it was meant to be lived, full of enjoyment with a new adventure every day. Learning a new language; discovering a new personality within myself. And now, when it’s time for me to go back home from studying abroad, I can take this newfound perspective and expand upon it in every facet of my life.
It’s going to be hard adjusting to being back home. I mean who really ever wants to end an exciting adventure? But, I realized, every day, no matter where you are, can be an adventure. You just need to have the right mind set. This experience made me want to meet new people, people different from myself. It made me want to learn about different countries and stay up to date on what is going on in the world. It gave me even more confidence to put myself out there and dare to try new things. And now, with this new state of mind, traveling has become a passion. I know that whenever I look at my patch from Florence, I will see how studying abroad gave me the courage to take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way.