Before I left Italy, I said my goodbyes, acknowledging that there will be plenty of things I will miss, but also memories I will take with me.
By Nicholas Palmeri
My semester has come to a close and I’ve learned a lot about myself and the world around me. I can say that I have studied abroad and I’ll take this experience with me forever. Rome will always have a special place in my heart. I don’t know when, but I will absolutely be coming back.
There are many things I will miss in Rome, like the Dolce Bar one hundred feet from my apartment. Cafes are everywhere in Italy, and they all sell the same items, but you develop a routine and grow accustomed to seeing the same people and ordering the same food. The place would always be brimming with Italians.
I will also miss the way you can cross the street and cars automatically stop. Here in New York, I wouldn’t count on that. I’ll miss the colorful Euro and the one and two Euro coins. I’ll miss Italy’s low prices. I’ll miss having the Porta Portese market right outside of my window bright and early every Sunday where I could buy anything from clothes to antiques for a cheap price. The first time I saw the market outside of my window, I thought I was dreaming. I hadn’t known that the market had been there since 1945. I wish that I had brought less clothes with me so I would have more room in my luggage to buy clothes from Rome. The style in Europe is different from the way Americans dress.
In the past I’ve told myself that I should have gone out-of-state for college, but studying abroad showed me that maybe dorming for four years wouldn’t have been for me. My study abroad was four months and I thought it was the right amount of time. I can’t see myself being away for four years (albeit, I would still be in the United States). My semester abroad validated my decision to stay home for college, a choice that I have wrestled with for some time. This experience definitely gave me that change of scenery that I was looking for.
Italy has a very rich culture and I’m thankful I had the chance to immerse myself in it. When my plane touched down in Newark a few days ago, I was ecstatic. There’s no place like home. I was nervous that my flight would be cancelled, considering the air traffic controller shortage that Newark was facing, but luckily my flight departed as planned. It was refreshing to see my family again and be on American soil. They told me that I didn’t miss anything here and I laughed.
I returned home with a deeper appreciation of the world, stories that I could tell and memories that I will keep. I had a great time In Rome, whether I was meeting international travelers or exploring the large city. These were two things that made me enjoy my experience to the fullest.
The semester went quicker than I thought it would, but it’s good to be home.
