A week from this very moment, I will be on my plane from Rome to Philadelphia. My 10-hour flight taking me back to America. Probably trying to sleep but can’t because I’m sitting next to a screaming baby or more likely, I’ll be too excited. Since it’s my final week here in Siena, Italy and Europe, I’ve done a lot of evaluating on what I’ve done/learned since coming here. I’ve visited and explored places that I only dreamed of seeing so incase this is the only blog post that you’ve read of mine, I’ll catch you up pretty quickly:
I got lost on the busses in Siena, went on a Gita to Pisa, swam in the Mediterranean Sea (a lot), passed out on the beach in the beautiful Tuscan sun, hiked literally miles in Cinque Terre and swam in the beaches and avoided stepping on a sea urchin, I went to Oktoberfest and drank beers with Germen men who would stand up on the tables and chug as fast as they could while the entire beer tent would scream for them, I sang “Sweet Caroline” and “Hey Baby” more times that I can count because I’m pretty sure those are the German’s favorite songs, I slept in a tent in the middle of a rain storm, I explored Munich via walking everywhere and an awesome bike tour, I went to the World’s Largest Beer Garden, I spent a weekend in Paris and saw everything in less than 72 hours (I really don’t know how), I ate chipotle at the World’s Largest Chipotle in Paris and cried into my burrito because of how happy I was, ate some crepes and croque monsieurs, I visited smaller Tuscan cities including San Gimignano, Assisi, and Lucca all with equally breathtaking views of the Tuscan countryside, I ate at the “Best Gelateria in the World”, I successfully planned and organized my own 10 day vacation to Vienna, Berlin, and Amsterdam, I visited a friend from college in Vienna, I saw a world famous opera at the State Opera House in Vienna (for 3 euro), I visited the graves of Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, and Strauss, I went to Berlin and (what is now) my favorite city in the entire world, I walked along the last standing part of the Berlin Wall, I ate 5 euro soup every night, I rode a bike all around Berlin and the gardens there, I visited concentration camp memorial sites (one in Munich and one in Berlin), I went to Amsterdam and came back with some of the strangest stories, I ate home cooked meals served by our AWESOME Christian hostel in Amsterdam, I got my picture on top of the “I AMsterdam” sign, I went to Florence a couple of times, visited Uffize museum, saw an opera in the birthplace of opera, had the best sandwich I’ve had the entire time in Italy for 3 euro, I spent a weekend in Barcelona and pretended to be a Cheetah Girl the whole time, drank 1 euro Sangria and ate at the Chipotle of Barcelona, went on a free walking tour and learned a lot about the history of Barcelona, saw lots of Gaudi architecture and walked down La Rambla, I went to Rome and the Vatican City, saw the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, and the Pantheon, ate dinner with my friend in an apartment each night like a little family, ate the best coconut gelato I’ve had in my life while listening to a street performer sing “The Bare Necessities”, I adventured in ancient aqueducts under the city of Siena that were built in 1300, and also spent an evening at the hot springs that once you got past the smell of rotten eggs from the sulfur was actually really relaxing, I spent some crazy, weird, memorable nights in Siena, sang karaoke at a German bar in Italy and made an absolute fool of myself, became a creepy follower of a local band, and (most importantly) I did all of these things with some really, really great people who I am so happy to say that have become really good friends of mine.
Although there is still so much of the world that I still need to see, I’m unbelievable grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to spend 4 months in a place that was once so different to me. It’s funny because it seems like I’ve just now become comfortable here, and like Siena is my place (and I’m no longer getting lost on the busses). My host mom isn’t some stranger that is letting me live in her house, but she’s someone I have become really close with and will miss watching game shows with her while I do my homework and she reads. And much as it makes me frustrated, I’m going to miss getting stuck behind the old Italian ladies as they walk obnoxiously slow down the street having nowhere to get to just because that’s how life is paced here; no rush, no stress, you’ll get there when you get there.
Everyone says that when you study abroad, you learn more about yourself than you could ever imagined. When I came here, I wasn’t entirely sure if that was true. But looking back, I’ve grown so much. I’ve learned how to navigate in a new place and how to not be afraid to look like an idiot when you accidentally call your dog (“cane”) meat (“carne”). I’ve learned that people everywhere are generally good hearted and willing to help out when you’re struggling, lost, or just look confused (which I did a lot during the first couple of weeks). I’ve gained a new sense of independence having to rely on my instincts and abilities to do things and not having someone hold my hand along the way. I’ve found qualities in myself that I never thought I had and learned that I can be a lot more patient than I thought. I’ve learned that I’m capable of communicating and navigating in a country where I speak none of the language. I think most importantly though, I have a new appreciation for everything I have in my life. My friends, my family, my house, my wifi, the heat in my house, everything… no matter how small it might seem. The saying goes that “you never know what you have until it’s gone” but it honestly couldn’t be more true. Being in Italy and traveling in Europe makes me appreciate everything back at home so much more. It’s hard to explain, but I’m just really happy to have the thing that I have now that I haven’t had them for four months.
So next week at this time, I will probably be somewhere over the ocean on my way back home. This trip has been amazing and I am DEFINITELY coming back asap to see the places that I didn’t get to see this time around (for example Switzerland, Belgium, Greece, and Turkey) but I’m so ready to go back to Ohio.
I found this quote… and I think it explains how I feel perfectly:
“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” –Terry Pratchett
... That Terry guy really knew what he was talking about.
So until next time,
Ciao!
I got lost on the busses in Siena, went on a Gita to Pisa, swam in the Mediterranean Sea (a lot), passed out on the beach in the beautiful Tuscan sun, hiked literally miles in Cinque Terre and swam in the beaches and avoided stepping on a sea urchin, I went to Oktoberfest and drank beers with Germen men who would stand up on the tables and chug as fast as they could while the entire beer tent would scream for them, I sang “Sweet Caroline” and “Hey Baby” more times that I can count because I’m pretty sure those are the German’s favorite songs, I slept in a tent in the middle of a rain storm, I explored Munich via walking everywhere and an awesome bike tour, I went to the World’s Largest Beer Garden, I spent a weekend in Paris and saw everything in less than 72 hours (I really don’t know how), I ate chipotle at the World’s Largest Chipotle in Paris and cried into my burrito because of how happy I was, ate some crepes and croque monsieurs, I visited smaller Tuscan cities including San Gimignano, Assisi, and Lucca all with equally breathtaking views of the Tuscan countryside, I ate at the “Best Gelateria in the World”, I successfully planned and organized my own 10 day vacation to Vienna, Berlin, and Amsterdam, I visited a friend from college in Vienna, I saw a world famous opera at the State Opera House in Vienna (for 3 euro), I visited the graves of Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, and Strauss, I went to Berlin and (what is now) my favorite city in the entire world, I walked along the last standing part of the Berlin Wall, I ate 5 euro soup every night, I rode a bike all around Berlin and the gardens there, I visited concentration camp memorial sites (one in Munich and one in Berlin), I went to Amsterdam and came back with some of the strangest stories, I ate home cooked meals served by our AWESOME Christian hostel in Amsterdam, I got my picture on top of the “I AMsterdam” sign, I went to Florence a couple of times, visited Uffize museum, saw an opera in the birthplace of opera, had the best sandwich I’ve had the entire time in Italy for 3 euro, I spent a weekend in Barcelona and pretended to be a Cheetah Girl the whole time, drank 1 euro Sangria and ate at the Chipotle of Barcelona, went on a free walking tour and learned a lot about the history of Barcelona, saw lots of Gaudi architecture and walked down La Rambla, I went to Rome and the Vatican City, saw the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, and the Pantheon, ate dinner with my friend in an apartment each night like a little family, ate the best coconut gelato I’ve had in my life while listening to a street performer sing “The Bare Necessities”, I adventured in ancient aqueducts under the city of Siena that were built in 1300, and also spent an evening at the hot springs that once you got past the smell of rotten eggs from the sulfur was actually really relaxing, I spent some crazy, weird, memorable nights in Siena, sang karaoke at a German bar in Italy and made an absolute fool of myself, became a creepy follower of a local band, and (most importantly) I did all of these things with some really, really great people who I am so happy to say that have become really good friends of mine.
Although there is still so much of the world that I still need to see, I’m unbelievable grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to spend 4 months in a place that was once so different to me. It’s funny because it seems like I’ve just now become comfortable here, and like Siena is my place (and I’m no longer getting lost on the busses). My host mom isn’t some stranger that is letting me live in her house, but she’s someone I have become really close with and will miss watching game shows with her while I do my homework and she reads. And much as it makes me frustrated, I’m going to miss getting stuck behind the old Italian ladies as they walk obnoxiously slow down the street having nowhere to get to just because that’s how life is paced here; no rush, no stress, you’ll get there when you get there.
Everyone says that when you study abroad, you learn more about yourself than you could ever imagined. When I came here, I wasn’t entirely sure if that was true. But looking back, I’ve grown so much. I’ve learned how to navigate in a new place and how to not be afraid to look like an idiot when you accidentally call your dog (“cane”) meat (“carne”). I’ve learned that people everywhere are generally good hearted and willing to help out when you’re struggling, lost, or just look confused (which I did a lot during the first couple of weeks). I’ve gained a new sense of independence having to rely on my instincts and abilities to do things and not having someone hold my hand along the way. I’ve found qualities in myself that I never thought I had and learned that I can be a lot more patient than I thought. I’ve learned that I’m capable of communicating and navigating in a country where I speak none of the language. I think most importantly though, I have a new appreciation for everything I have in my life. My friends, my family, my house, my wifi, the heat in my house, everything… no matter how small it might seem. The saying goes that “you never know what you have until it’s gone” but it honestly couldn’t be more true. Being in Italy and traveling in Europe makes me appreciate everything back at home so much more. It’s hard to explain, but I’m just really happy to have the thing that I have now that I haven’t had them for four months.
So next week at this time, I will probably be somewhere over the ocean on my way back home. This trip has been amazing and I am DEFINITELY coming back asap to see the places that I didn’t get to see this time around (for example Switzerland, Belgium, Greece, and Turkey) but I’m so ready to go back to Ohio.
I found this quote… and I think it explains how I feel perfectly:
“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” –Terry Pratchett
... That Terry guy really knew what he was talking about.
So until next time,
Ciao!