flying home.

This post was written on August 15, on the plane ride home.

It was difficult for me to write about my reactions to Italy when I arrived because I had thought that I already knew what to expect and that I guess, that I knew it all.  It was pretty easy to adapt to the differences in living in Italy because I had looked forwared to it for long that it was a novelty and I loved it.  Roughing it was part of the experience, I thought, and I was going to enjoy every minute of it.  Growing up I had to rough it.  We didn't have a lot of money and I had to go without many of the luxuries that my friends were able to enjoy so when I was given the chance to voluntarily give up the luxuries it seemed more like an adventure than a sacrifice.  Rich or poor many of have some of the same luxuries that we all couldn’t imagine  to live without.  INTERNET! Fast food! Choices of what to eat, whether it’s  good for you or not, we have lots of choices back home.  Well again, I was expecting all of this so it never seemed like a sacrifice or gave me the feeling of wanting the comforts of home.  Not even for a minute.  I was frustrated at first,yes, but I never wavered on my passion for enjoying every single minute. 

As I fly home I start to think of how much I hated flying and the TRAVEL part of traveling before I came to Italy.  I didn’tlike the lines, I didn’t like the long flight and the idea of having to sit on an 8 plus hour flight.  The only type of transportation I used in Italy besides a few bus rides to Florence were the trains.  I loved riding the trains and being able to visit so much of the country with such ease.  I learned that the travel days were stressful and I dealt with it.  You have to get up early, you have to pack enough but not too much, you have to walk to the train station, or pay for a cab, and then you have to pay attention so you don’t miss any of your two or three or four connectiosn to get to your final destination. And you also have to hope that none of your trains are late and if they are you better hope that you can catch a later train or else you have to find a hotel room.  By the end of your journey you are tired, sweaty, and all you want to do is rest.  But then you arrive and you realize where you are.  Venice, Vernazza, anywhere in Cinque Terre, Milan, Sorento, Rome and you forget about sleep and are filled with a desire to explore as much as you can.  Only when you spend an entire summer or an even longer period of time can you take advantage of being so close to so many new places.  Some of us fret a little over the cost of traveling on the weekends but I just couldn’t not go somewhere because I was afraid to spend a couple hundred dollars.  When else is it going to cost you that much to see Venice?  Never.  So take advantage and save up your money in other ways to expand on your travels.  But I digress.  Traveling by train was definitely stressful and I must have felt it subconsciously, but while it was going on I absolutely enjoyed it.  It was comfortable for the most part, very comfortable if you take the fast train, and you get to see so much of the countryside .  So even if you don’t get to stop at all of the beautiful places that you see you at least get a feeling for all of the different personalities of the country you call home for the semester.  I had never ridden on a train before so it was all new.  I quickly learned that there is nothing like getting to the train station and looking forward to your next adventure.  If you are alone you can sit an appreciate the experience that you have allowed yourself to enjoy and look forward to all of the things you can do when you arrive.  If you are with your friends you can enjoy some bonding time discussing your plans for your time away.

But as I am on the plane ride home I am realizing how comfortable it is and how much I have taken the luxuries I have at home for granted.  The seats are comfortable, for the most part.  You get drinks, food, and entertainment, and sometimes even a pillow and blanket.  As I sit on this plane on my way home from the most amazing summer of my life I wonder how differently I will see my life when I returen home.  I have lived with limited internet access, limited access to a television, without a clothes dryer, a hair dryer, I have slept in the most uncomfortable beds, the flattest pillows, and have lived with roommates that I didn’t like all of the time.  I have had to overcome difficulties that I never had at home and I never even noticed.  I was prepared for change and challenges and hardships.  I was so in love with my temporary life that I never noticed that it was an inconvenience or that I was being challenged. 

I wonder how I differently I will see the world when I return. I think that is the most significant effect of studying abroad.  You go to experience new cultures, to face challenges, and to grow.  But in the end all of these changes are to help you prepare for the life after your time abroad.  To help you realize who you really are, or who you really want to be.  The experiences abroad help prepare you for a life that is much different than the one you expected before you departed.  I feel that I am different but I can’t really say how just yet.  What I do know is that I feel differently about myself.

I hope that as I reflect on my summer through this blog I will continue to learn about myself. So far I have realized that I was just being a brat about flying and that I need to appreciate all of the luxuries that I work hard for am blessed with.  I have learned that I must not overindulge on anything.  I must appreciate the little things and accept what I perceive as hardships as an opportunity to learn and to grow as a person.  I also learned that learning new languages allows you to appreciate different cultures in a way that merely being a tourist cannot.  I learned to take my time and enjoy the pleasures of conversation and to be genuinely interested in meeting new people from different backgrounds. Travel is about new experiences that allow you to realize your full potential.  

I am a 29 year old student who, for a very long time,  thought that it was normal to be unhappy most of the time.  I taught myself to accept that I had given up on the chance of an education when I was 18 so I had to accept the life that I had laid out for myself.  I thought that I had to live with the consequences and at 26 I was just too old to go back to school.  Now I have been able to not only go back to school, but also become an excellent student, and to win enough scholarships to allow me to afford a summer semester abroad.  I am still trying to swallow that accomplishment.  I am a Gillman Scholar.  I will graduate from college and I will be able to use my experiences abroad to give myself an edge over everyone else in the intense job market we’ve got out there right now.  I  will be able to use my experience as an older student abroad to allow me to become a better teacher.  This summer changed me and I am excited to see just how as the next chapter in my life unfolds.