The Glossed Over Blog

Exploring the world for the first time as a 19-year-old college student

One year ago today, I found a video of myself saying that I will study abroad in the upcoming summer, and that’s what happened! When I was young, I loved going on family trips and exploring a new city or state. My curiosity about the world is endless. This led me to apply to a study abroad program for the summer after my first year of college.

I am a very driven person. When I have goals, there is very little that can change my mind. Once I found a program that I liked, I was all in. I chose the beautiful city of Florence, Italy. Though my experience was only one month, it changed me in the best way possible. Here is why just one month abroad can teach you more life skills than a semester in a classroom.

Learning to Be Comfortable with the Uncomfortable

Adapting to a new environment can be hard, as humans we are creatures of habit. One thing that helped me comfort myself in a new environment was keeping in touch with my family and friends. I made group chats with family members to send pictures and updates to. Having the opportunity to share my experience with my friends and family is a HUGE blessing because there are people out there who are not able to do the same. Making sure I keep some sense of normalcy was key to me. I also brought some comfort items like a blanket that smelled like home. This also helped with my home sickness. 

Allow yourself to embrace the newness of your surroundings. I made sure to step out of my comfort zone because that is when I learned to surprise myself. For example, one weekend my friends all booked a trip to the Amalfi Coast and I decided to wait a day to book it. This trip ended up selling out by the time I was able to sign up. I didn’t let this get the best of me and looked for other options. I ended up booking a similar trip but went in not knowing anyone. Everyone already had their groups, which did feel isolating at times, but this also allowed me to explore and soak in the experience in ways that I might not have if I was with my friends. I surprised myself with how outgoing I am, and I was able to meet some amazing people. One night I was sitting on a rooftop bar casually talking to Australians my age who were doing the same thing I was. Solo traveling across the world is not any sort of familiar territory to me, but I am proud of myself that I took those opportunities.

Cultural Intelligence and Unlearning Bias

While living in Italy, I got to analyze the cultural assumptions from an outside view. I understood how Italians struggled with the overflow of tourists. In my time studying abroad, there were protests in the train and bus stations against overtourism. I clearly saw how the city of Florence was being dominated by tourists and locals were facing the consequences of this by the overcrowding of the city. Every day I would run into big swarms of walking tours on my way to class completely taking up the sidewalk. As a tourist myself, I had so much empathy for these hard-working locals who still tried to manage their everyday life in peak tourist season.

I learned lots of social cues and etiquette from observing. Respecting the culture and traditions around me was important. I understood the importance of food through my food and wine pairing class (for school credit). Food is connection. It’s an opportunity to sit down and dedicate time to enhance relationships. Italians are proud of the food and wine that is found in their country. I mean… I would be too.

Time Management and Responsibility

The pace of life felt different in another country. Even the speed of my walking pace was different than anyone else’s. When I realized that, I understood how American I looked. I learned how to slow down and manage myself more. I was more proactive with my assignments and things that I needed to do. This helped me balance my self-care and social life better. Every day is a new experience and staying on top of my schedule was very beneficial to my stress management. I was only taking one class while studying abroad which is very different from a regular semester, but I still learned the importance of taking care of my responsibilities before my free time.

Communication is More Than Just Language

Going into my study abroad experience I learned some Italian through Duolingo. I expected to experience a large language barrier. In reality, Florence is a very English-speaking city. I was hoping to learn more but I knew how to say the basics, “Ciao”, “Gracie”, “Buongiorno”, “Prego”, etc. I learned that most Italians appreciate the effort of learning their language. I also thought that practicing the basic phrases felt more respectful to me. Going into another country and expecting the locals to speak your native language might not be reasonable. 

Another observation that was intriguing to me was how the interaction of other languages would communicate. English serves as a bridge language that allows others to understand each other despite having different native tongues. Considering this was my first time leaving the US, I found this fascinating. It’s interesting how non-English speaking countries usually take English classes alongside their other native language classes. They are taught to know English just as well as their language. In the schools that I grew up in, learning another language was more optional and was only needed to graduate. 

Relationships and Self-Discovery

Returning to normalcy was hard but made me appreciate the places and people I got to know through this opportunity. It’s hard to explain to anyone who asks about my experience how truly changed I feel. When you’re away from everything familiar, you discover who you really are—your values, interests, strengths, and weaknesses. I am proud of myself for taking the first step to following my dreams of traveling the world. I have gained a different perspective on life. I encourage anyone who is considering studying abroad to DO IT. There is a program out there waiting for you, you just have to find it! 
If you have any questions or want to share your study abroad experience in the comments, you are more than welcome! This is a safe space.

♡ Hattie