I awaken to the sound of cicadas, and a very loud revving of motorcycles racing down the street. Today was our first rain, and the sound of a thunderstorm instilled a sense of excitement and wonder inside-I could not have waited to go out. Everyone greets each other walking down the street with a buongiorno, and at home, we dry our clothes on the line when the sun is at it’s peak in the sky. A simple but joyful observation I have held onto is how quickly clothes dry. What sweet convenience.
Each morning, we are invited to plan our day around closures as almost everything in town shuts down temporarily for everyone to cool off, have a light lunch, and rest. If home, I often invite myself to take a shower and change clothes as the humidity is incredibly impactful on one’s choice of garment.
Wild mint is prolific here in the archaeological sites and ruins, and blackberries of Tuscia (pronounced too-shaa) are like nothing I have ever tasted. They are wild and sweet and inviting, with seeds that do not become stuck uncomfortably in your teeth.
I’ve been in Italy for 21 days and I am finally sinking into a rhythm. Not knowing what to expect has invited a sense of freedom and curiosity that is a marvel to live and feel into. Within my short three weeks here, I have been invited to two summer music festivals, made four incredible new friends, swam in two volcanic lakes, performed as an opening act for a very popular artist in Lazio from the UK, and held in my heart that a dear friend has passed away back home. I celebrate his life with late night guitar strumming down cobblestone alleys while amused strangers take a seat to listen and share a moment together. Stillness has been scarce, and I find that so much is becoming more clear as I spend my month abroad in Italy.
Investing in experiences and investing in myself always pays off, even if it takes time to reveal itself. As a single mom, making a choice like this was costly, and it has been one massive adventure making this work overall. At home, my life was on the fringes of falling apart, and with all of the changes to student loan rules, I was not able to acquire the final bit of aid I anticipated having while abroad. I spent weeks trying to sort things out, and it just did not come together. Thankfully, I have a community that continually lifts me up and those who care for me who come through when I need support. In speaking with classmates and friends who are here from all over the country, they too are noticing how they will be impacted this fall with all of the funding changes. Being in school at a time like this is such a privilege, and I am deeply grateful.
No one has been exempt on this trip from something. Acclimating and adjusting to a new region can be a lot for anyone young or old, but the heat is a new thing, even for Italians. When I arrived in Rome, I asked locals about the temperatures and they shared it has never been hot so early. We are in an epic time of major changes globally, and spending extended time in a country and region very different than my own is clarifying the impact we are all having in this shared human experience called life.
With Lazio being much hotter than the year prior, the mosquitos have been terrible. I discovered I am quite allergic and was debating on a visit to the hospital, partially as some self invited participant observation and, partially due to some concern that something was deeply wrong. Thankfully here we have many Farmacia with qualified individuals who can support you with what you require, and the cost is never alarming.
As this trip has been for self-discovery and for writing, I am noticing how much weight I have given picking a lane, especially in an academic setting. As someone who had a podcast about embracing your dynamic, multifaceted nature, academia pushed me into thinking there must be only one direction when really, there are many.
Memories of my childhood arise through vulnerable dialogues in Italian, and I document them with great care as I compile words for a memoir. Similar to Simone de Beauvoir, I enjoy writing narrative realism, from my experiences as I have lived a lot of life at thirty seven years old. What started as one book has now become two, as the pages become filled with internal and external processings of things tucked far away in a dark crevasse of my mind.
With my friend passing, grief has been on my mind, in a brushstrokes sort of way, and I think about human tragedy in great length and what it took humanity to arrive there. I wonder why it is that other’s are constantly making major brushstroke choices that impact humanity, and wonder why social media has dulled us to life. Many ponderings.
A couple of weekends ago, my friends and I ventured to Firenze and had such an incredible time. Finding compatible travel friends is such a special thing, and to find this so quickly abroad has been a buoy of support in a very precarious transitional period in my life. I imagined that in changing careers later in life, I needed to fully pivot everything in a sharp way. Here, I realize here I can embrace the skills I possess in the accounting world, in music, and transition to anthropology in a holistic way that fully supports who I am becoming. Not excluding the parts.
My eczema has flared up likely from gelato and mosquitos. You can never have too much gelato but past June, it feels there are always too many mosquitos. All the gelaterias here are quite delicious, and I find myself thinking about a granita di melone I had in Roma a few weeks ago near the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi. My Italian reaches it’s limits, as I sit in conversations and dialogues of jokes I can mostly comprehend without a way to fully participate yet. I haven’t been scolded much, mostly teased so I imagine I am doing alright.
My host home is comfortable and vibrantly artistic which suits me delightfully. I am prepared delicious meals, dishes I have never tried such as insalata di riso, simple and filled with flavor, and the summer fruit is delicious and refreshing. I feel grateful for choosing a homestay, and offering an opportunity for a cultural exchange of ideas, perspectives, and life experience. On campus, our cafe offers delicious biscotti with cereal and raisins inside, covered with a mound of powdered sugar that gets everywhere when you take a bite.
Two nights ago, I burned myself hopping off a friends motorcycle who gave me a ride home after a long night of chatting and I have been piecing together memories with current moments as I am in a month of deep processing.
Deep gratitude is felt to Fund for Education Abroad for an invitation to experience this. I would not have been able to do this without your team saying yes to my experience overall. I will continue to collect memories and report back soon.
A doppo,
Serah
