COMM/WORLD
"It's nothing you expect but everything you want and more."
by Nell Warnock
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A year in Italy
I could feel my hands shaking as I stood on the patio stairs amongst 55 other American students in Viterbo, Italy. The air was filled with anxious laughter from my classmates and loud chatter from the Italian families as we waited to meet our new family members for the year. “Nell Warnock?” the host family coordinator announced in her thick accent. As I hugged my new host sisters and kissed my host mother on the cheek, the reality of where I was and what I was doing hit me. “Ciao! Come stai? Tutto bene? Sei altissima!” My host family immediately started questioning me in Italian, and I wished I could tell them the only Italian I knew was “ciao”, “pizza”, and “pasta”. (I would later find out that they were commenting on how freakishly tall I am compared to them).
Despite the language barrier, we were able to laugh as we struggled to fit my giant suitcases in their little Fiat, and at that moment I remembered why I decided to take this adventure. Little did I know that the next nine months would bring hundreds of long conversations in Italian with my host family, trips around Europe with my friends, and some of the best memories of my life.
“Why would you ever want to study abroad for that long? Won’t you miss Charlotte too much?” I got these questions thousands of times before I left. I didn’t know exactly why I chose to move to an entirely different country without my family or friends. When I asked my fellow SYA classmates from last year why they chose to study abroad, their answers varied. Some, like me, chose to go because they wanted a change from their repetitive lifestyle in their hometowns. Some chose to go because they wanted to pursue their passion for Italian art, or some because they just simply like Italian food.
While some definite draws to traveling are the amazing food and ancient art, they're not the only thing that are important. Travelling allows you to see the world through a completely different perspective.
The history and culture that you learn about in old textbooks in America is now right in front of you. Instead of learning about the architecture of the Colosseum through a powerpoint on a smartboard, you get to experience it in person. A regular day of classes may consist of going to get cappuccinos for your whole English class, or your Italian teacher telling you to go out into town and conduct an interview (in Italian) with a native about his opinions on the current government. What is so different about studying abroad is that your classroom is no longer just a room with some chairs and a whiteboard – it is the entire world surrounding the simple school building.
Most articles regarding travel abroad discuss the benefit of learning new cultures and experiencing places you never would have dreamed of. However, most do not touch on the impact that all the new people you meet abroad have on your life. You find yourself relating to your classmates/travel mates more than you would expect.
Simple things such as getting completely lost in a subway station help strengthen the bonds that you create over the course of your time abroad. I can honestly say that I have never felt closer to a group of people in my life, and leaving my SYA family last May was way harder than anyone could imagine. But, even though we all live miles away from each other, I still feel like I could talk to any one of them as if we had never left Viterbo. These are the friendships that last a lifetime, and they are just one more reason why traveling abroad is so worth it.
Your first thoughts about studying abroad might be “that would be too hard” or “I don’t think I can do that.” But the decision to study or travel abroad for a short time could change your life immensely. You get to discover what the world has to offer and at the same time learn more about yourself than you ever have. So, if you are thinking about studying abroad, just go for it. As many of my classmates have said last year, it is the best decision you could ever make.
“I chose to study abroad because I wanted a change in my life. I was drawn to the difference in culture and the freedom of living abroad.” -SYA Student
“I see the world differently now. It helps to put yourself in others shoes and it also helps you find who you are as a person - who you want to be and how you can get there.”
-SYA Student
“I would say that one of my favorite moments was when I was in Rome with my friends on the Metro and we just had so much fun - it wasn't anything special, but it's the little moments that mean a lot to me.”
-SYA Student
This is the Grand Canal in Venice, one of the many places I visited during my year abroad.
The Vatican City Museum's ceiling is one of the most beautiful things I saw.
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