Back Home Blog

It’s been a week since I left Italy and it’s been a bitter sweet process. As much as I really missed my family, my partner, and my cats, leaving Rome was harder than I thought it would be. I feel like I didn’t appreciate my last couple of nights in Rome because I was so eager to go back home. Now that I’m here I miss the food, the different types of stores, the little coffee shop by the accent center, and all the beautiful scenery you could find around Italy. It is honestly hard to believe how two and a half months have already gone since I first arrived in Rome and I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences of my life. The adventures I had when I was there are going to stay with me for the rest of my life. I will especially treasure the camel stroll on a beach as the sun was setting behind us. Even the simple day to day activities such as buying groceries were an experience by themselves. I met so many wonderful people who I would have never met if it wasn’t for the exchange program. I really think that I was able to find a lifelong friend which I’m really grateful for. This trip also showed me how to live on my own and become more independent while away from my support system back home. This is a big win for me since I’ve never been so far from everything I am accustomed to, but after this study abroad program I know that I’m capable of this and so much more. Coming back home from Italy was a challenge since it was a fifteen hour flight with a three hour layover which gave me the worst jet lag of my life. I felt that when I arrived in Italy I didn’t really think about me being tired since I was really excited about being in Rome but coming back home it just felt like I haven’t slept in years and had the worst body aches. After resting for a couple of days I began to feel less tired and am slowly adapting back to the time zone here. Although I am grateful for having the opportunity to study abroad in Italy I am glad to be back home and being able to finish school. I am a semester away graduating and I feel like it is time to finally decide my career path. Studying abroad has helped narrow my potential career options by experiencing firsthand what someone does in my field of study. Living in a different region of the world helped me see how differently people live. One big difference I noticed is how fast people seem to be living their lives in my hometown compared to where I was staying in Italy. Here in Modesto it seems that people are just trying to get from point a to point b as fast as they can and in Rome people take time to look at their surroundings and sometimes take detours to explore a little shop or get a snack. I can’t wait to go back and I am excited to see what other destinations life has in store for me.