From There To Here
As much as I miss Italy, I am so glad to be back home and on campus. Over break I found myself comparing how I lived abroad versus what it is like to live back in the States. I feel like that is very normal for someone who has been away from home for a while. When I was home I compared some silly things that would just make my family laugh. Two examples that come to mind are the food and sidewalks.
Back in Italy, there was not much food variety which I definitely took advantage of before I left. I made my family take me to a Mexican restaurant as one of the first places I went to when I got back. I do love Italian food but to have no other options was very limiting. I even made my parents bring me some food from home when I was away. As for sidewalks, they were non-existent in Italy. You were always walking on the road and battling for space with cars. I have definitely found a greater appreciation for the small things here that other countries might not have.
Another aspect that has been completely different is my living here on campus. Back in Italy, it felt way more like I was in the real world. I completely understand that I did not have to worry about paying bills for the apartment I stayed in, but other than that it felt like I was out living life like a real adult. I had to budget for household items such as cleaning supplies as well as groceries. All of those experiences were something that I had never experienced. At first, the idea of budgeting really freaked me out but as the semester went on I became more and more comfortable with it.
Even though this is a very good life skill to have, I don’t have to worry about that anymore for the time being. I live in Knight Hall so I have a meal plan and only go grocery shopping for snacks. Once in a while I also buy ingredients for a certain meal if I am craving it. I just made feta pasta for my suitemates since I wanted to make it. However, it’s still very nice to have the option to go and have someone else make my food for me once in a while.
Suite living is also very different from the apartment I lived in last semester. I got very lucky and have had a really good experience with my roommates for both semesters. In Italy, we both had our own lives and experiences we wanted to do abroad which is totally fair. As time went on we both did our own things which is expected when living abroad. On campus, I got lucky enough to live with one of my best friends. In my suite, we all have completely different schedules but still make time to hang out with each other at least twice a week. My favorite activity we do all together has been our puzzle nights. I always joke that it is such an old lady activity to do but I absolutely love it. We even have an entire wall in our living room dedicated to all of our puzzles completed this semester.
The last major difference I have noted is the courses I have been taking. Last semester it was way more laid back. A lot of the courses had a lighter workload and the curriculum was less involved. The staff understood that we were in a new place and wanted to explore our new surroundings instead of spending most of our time doing homework. This semester I have a bunch of catch-up work to do since I did not take any courses for my major in Italy. I have enjoyed learning about all of the psychology topics I have covered in my courses but the courses are definitely more involved and have a lot more material than I was used to.
So far it has just been a huge adjustment period for me but I am very happy to be back with my friends!
