Submitted by Hannah Brown on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Italy sponsored by the Department of English…
On our last week in Italy, I was feeling very tired. We went on a few more guided tours and saw even more cathedrals. We did get to finally see Michelangelo’s David, which was something that I had been looking forward to seeing and it did not disappoint. We then traveled back to Rome for a night, which gave me the opportunity to do some last-minute souvenir shopping. Then, we were bound for home.
Although I really enjoyed my stay in Italy, I am very happy to be coming home. I realized a lot about myself on this program—mainly that I am a creature of habit. This past week, I craved American food, a place where I could speak the language, and my bed at home. Experiences like this are good for getting me out of my comfort zone, but I don’t feel like I could ever live in a country where I don’t have some sense of familiarity. And that seems mean to say, because I did really like European culture. For one of the first times in my life, I didn’t find myself stressed for most of my day. For example, this was the first time I haven’t been asked about my major regularly, and where I was planning to attend post-undergraduate schooling afterwards. This is something I cherish as I know when I go back to UD, this sort of thing will happen often. With this said, I feel like if I was in a city in England or Ireland, I wouldn’t have this feeling. The idea of moving out of the U.S. always seemed appealing to me, but this experience has made me think a bit more seriously about that decision. I feel like I would really have to choose carefully about where I would live to avoid this home-sick feeling that I’m guilty for.
As a whole though, I loved this experience. I would love to travel somewhere else (New Zealand is next on my list) and experience another culture. It is truly one of my favorite things about traveling because I feel like I always come back to the U.S. with a way of living that would change my life for the better.
