Submitted by Zeppelin Evans on the 2023 spring semester program in Rome, Italy…
I have lived with roommates before – so this is not a wholly new experience; however, I have never lived with eight other girls whom I had never met before moving in. Studying abroad is also not new to me. As a UD World Scholar, I studied abroad in Rome, Italy in the fall of 2021. Because of this, I was not worried about getting through the airport, or finding my way around the city, or adapting to a new culture. Ever since receiving my acceptance into the Rome Spring 2023 program, though, I had worried about who I would be living with. I am not the most social person, and I am not one to go out partying. In my experience, many college students are social butterflies, so I was worried about fitting in with my new roommates. To a degree, I was correct in my assumption that they would be extroverted party-goers, and this scared me even more when I first met them. Nevertheless, after spending a week in an apartment with my new roommates, I realized that I really had nothing to be scared of. While we are different in terms of personality, we have other things in common, like favorite foods and movies. And through talking to each other, we were able to compromise about guests in the apartment, quiet / alone times, and other worries that I had.
There are a lot of fears when it comes to studying abroad: traveling, moving, new people, new culture, etc. But what makes studying abroad so worth it is learning about yourself and about other people. Learning ways to overcome these fears and stressors abroad can make it easier to deal with other fears and stressors back at home. Learning about other people makes life more interesting and can help in future careers. For example, as someone who has trouble talking to people, being put in an apartment with eight other girls was terrifying; however, I learned how to cope with this fear and how to speak with them to come to a compromise. These skills will help me overcome my fears of speaking to others back in America in general and help me compromise and negotiate with employers and coworkers. Overall, without being thrown into an apartment in the middle of Rome with eight other girls, I do not think that I would be as comfortable with change, meeting new people, and even making new friends. (Submitted during Week 1)