On June 23rd, 2016 I got on a plane for the first time in 12 years. The only difference is that time time I was going to pursue a dream I had in a completely different country. With two Italian language classes under my belt and a heart full of passion for the culture, I was ready to study abroad, or at least I thought I was.

     There were many wonderful experiences I had in Italy that I truly can say changed my outlook on life, but there were also some challenges I had to overcome while abroad. Some things that are so common in the United States and that I didn’t even have to think about such as air conditioning, microwaves, or dryers were rare in Italy. My three roommates and I lived in a tiny apartment in Trastevere among the locals. Our classes were held a 40 minutes walk across Rome at the University of Arkansas Rome. Walking everywhere was also something I had to get use to in Italy. This paired with the 95 degree Fahrenheit weather was something I was not expecting when I signed up for this trip. Grocery shopping was another thing I had to learn how to do differently. In the States I would normally go grocery shopping every week but in Italy it was typical to go to the market daily and buy what you eat that same day since the stores are only a 5 minute walk away from where one live; that is if the stores were opened since they close by 6 pm or for lunch time. Another thing I had to settle into was the way of life of the Italians in terms of time. My two classes were held in the afternoon so I had all morning to do as I pleased. This gave me a chance to sleep in as well as to cook breakfast, two things I didn't do when I took classes at UF. By the time classes were over and my roommates and I walked back, it was late afternoon. If we stayed in we would normally take turns cooking our dinner since our kitchen was very narrow. If we went out to eat dinner at the many restaurants a short walk away, we would have dinner around 8 pm since Italians eat dinner very late. You can definitely tell that many tourists would eat around 6 or 7pm and that the locals went out to dinner past that. This slow and calm way of life is something I learned to appreciate. In America there is a rush for everything; the expression “time is money” surrounds our daily lives. But in Italy, there is no hurry, you even have to ask for the check at dinner unless you want to wait at your table for 30 minutes (yes this happened to us the first time we went to dinner). All these challenges and differences I experienced as an American student abroad took time and patience to overcome. But in the end, I learned how to appreciate these difference and found beauty in the Italian way of life.