Arrivederci America. Ciao Italia!

While boarding my final flight from New York City to Venice, I panicked. I was about to spend three months in a tiny town in Italy, where I didn’t know anyone, didn’t speak the language, and had no idea what to expect at all.  I started reading through the phrase book that my mom bought for me in attempt to learn at least enough Italian to get by. I quickly became overwhelmed, so naturally, I gave up. After a few hours of forced, uncomfortable, but much needed sleep on the airplane, I was suddenly 20 minutes from landing in Venice for a European adventure that I frankly felt extremely unprepared for.

But there I was, on a bus with 25 strangers on my way to Paderno del Grappa, trying to take it all in. The first thing I noticed was the Italian architecture. While driving down a narrow two-lane rode through the countryside, we passed through a ton of small towns. Every house was two or three stories and painted with bright colors such as red, pink or orange. The houses were also either very spread out in the hills, or on the side of the road, right on the street. Also, every house was the exact same style. Two or three stories with 5 or 6 windows evenly spaced out, a door in the middle and a flat roof. It reminded me of a house a child would draw with crayons. They were simple but beautiful. Coming from California where you could drive hundreds of miles down a freeway without ever seeing a house in detail, this leisurely ride driving practically through people’s backyards was new and exciting.

After arriving at my campus, I was completely in awe of the countryside that was surrounding me. On my way to my first class, the view out of the window down the stairs literally took my breath away. It was 8am, and the sun looked absolutely gorgeous rising over the Dolomites in the distance. I can only remember one or two other instances in my life where my breath has been taken away by pure beauty. It has really given me an appreciation for the countryside and the mountains, which are both places where I have spent hardly any time during my life.

It’s definitely been an adjustment getting used to the different way things are done around here, but staying busy and being surrounded by students my age who are in the same boat as me has really opened up my eyes, and helped me appreciate the little things. To name a few, I have a newfound love for shutters, which keep my room dark until noon if I want them to. Prosecco white wine is delicious and cheap. And while it can be a bummer that everywhere is closed between 12 and 3, it really slows down the pace of my day and shows how laid back the Italian culture really is.

Studying abroad was something that I planned out completely on a whim, without hardly any thought put into it. I knew I wouldn’t be ready until I was actually here, but now that I am, I am so excited to grow as a person and appreciate even more little things along the way, not only in Italy, but all over Europe. I can’t wait to see what the next three months has in store for me.

The view of Paderno del Grappa out my dorm window.