I feel like everyone always say abroad changed them and it was the trip of a lifetime. That’s not to say it didn’t because honestly being here hasn’t been like anything I’ve ever done in my life which pretty much means it’s had to have an effect on me. But I want to break it down- I want to figure out each way that Italy has changed me, maybe in a small way, that I know is going to stick with me forever.

1.Making an effort helps. When you go to cafes or little shops and you try to make that effort to speak a little bit of Italian they appreciate it. It may seem small or pointless, but they would rather that than coming in and being “extra” American and touristy because this is where they live and their culture. Making an effort can be brought back to a lot of things- meeting with professors at school, taking that time to call a family member. Those little works of effort pay off.

2.Fresh food is the best thing you can do for yourself. Yes the gelato is delicious and there are a lot of carbs everywhere- literally everywhere, but everything is fresh. They make their pastries fresh here every morning, the cheese is local, the pasta is hand rolled, the eggs aren’t even refrigerated which freaked me out at first, but they were honestly delicious. Easier said than done as always, but I definitely want to eat a lot more organic fruits, vegetables and other food when I get back to “the states” as they say here.

3.Patience. Patience with people walking slow on the street, workers or policemen not being able to understand english because, well, I’m in a country where that is not their first language, not knowing to pay at the front and being told I have to weigh my produce with a snarky look on their face. All these things are very foreign to me, but it’s taught me patience because I have to be nice and adapt to their way of life and want to respect that. While it may be more difficult when I’m back home I do want to try and take a step back and try and see things from their point of view, put myself in their shoes for lack of a better phrase.

4.Documenting things. Ok obviously you can’t document every moment that’s happened in your life and it would be crazy to think you can capture all of your experiences perfectly. This blog though has forced me to take photos and write about specific moments, how I felt in that moment and connecting things to other aspects of my life- something I’ve been wanting to do for a while, but could never get myself to just sit down and write about me. I just received a gift before I came here- 2 notebooks that say “explore” and “write”. I guess my best friend knows me better than I do so I plan to use those when I get home.

5.Making new friends is fun. I came in not knowing anyone. Like literally no one. And I didn’t realize how nervous it made me until the week of. I was thrown into not only an apartment, but a bedroom with new people and a class of 20 kids I’d never met before- in a foreign city might I add. It took the welcome dinner, a few walks, shopping, group projects and delicious meals to get there, but I have new friends. Friends that I already have plans with for when we’re back in Oxford. Who would have thought? Not me. But my mom sure did.

6.Different doesn’t mean weird, it’s simply different than what you are used to. Butter on meat? Eggs that aren’t refrigerated? No dryer? Paying at the front of a restaurant? None of this is wrong, just something I had to adjust to because it’s how they choose to live here; it’s their norm. At first I thought things were weird like not refrigerating eggs. Are you kidding?? That’s so weird and unsafe! Well actually Julia it’s simply because they’re fresh, they’re not going to kill you. In fact they’re probably better for you. It’s a way of life I have experienced until now. This is obviously a larger scale of not being different not weird, but I hope to take this into consideration when people back home make a different style choice or have a different perspective than I do. Not weird, just different from me.

7.Pay attention to my surroundings. I quite literally couldn’t be on my phone all the time because I didn’t have a big data plan and the wifi in our apartment was out for 4 days. I was taking pictures of course and I wanted to connect with the people around me, but it definitely forced me to take in my surroundings and I’m so thankful for that. Italy is exquisite to say the least and I now have a new favorite place that I’ve travelled to. I plan to force myself to put my phone more and enjoy the company that I have and the place that I am in whether thats friends, family, a new town or even my hometown.

8.Be brave. Most things are worth it so push yourself. I am someone who likes routine for the most part. I don’t love going out of my comfort zone, I’m not spontaneous for the most part- I mean hell I make packing lists for when I go on trips weeks in advance. However, making myself get up to go see the Piazzale Michelangelo or powering through the climb in Montepulciano or trying chicken liver or traveling to Italy as a whole have quite literally changed my life in terms of pushing myself out of my comfort zone and proving that it’s worth it. When I get back to Ohio I want to force myself to do things I wouldn’t do regularly- go get back in the pool and swim laps for exercise, maybe get a job on campus or go hike at Hueston Woods on a lazy afternoon just because your friends want to.

Live differently, take chances, change your pace, try something new, be brave. You never know what might come of it. I’m one to know now clearly.