Ciao! I’m Alexa Jo and I’ll be a student voice here at the SAI office this semester. I’m excited to explore this new environment with each one of you and to seek out the things that will make Florence feel like home. As this is my first time in Europe I can’t wait to travel around and take every opportunity to see the world. I’m a double major in Psychology and Communications and I also do quite a bit of writing in my spare time (though I don’t think there will be much of that here!) Every week I’ll be conducting a list of my “Top 5’s of Florence” whether that be gelato, pizza, pasta, or hangout spots. I’ll share my experiences, mistakes, and lessons learned so you don’t have to waste any time and can get straight to the gems of Firenze.
This week I’ll be discussing 5 feelings I had my first week abroad. If you’ve been abroad, you’ve felt them, if you’re going abroad in the future, you’ll feel them. It’s pretty much inevitable that you’ll go through a rollercoaster of emotions but hang tight! If you can make it through the toughest parts in the beginning, you will get to the point where you question if you’ll ever go back home.
- What have I done?
I am not afraid to say that my first night abroad I cried. And I don’t mean sniffles, I mean big tears. I laid in my new bed without my familiar blankets, pillows, and sheets, and stared at a ceiling in a new apartment full of people I had never met before and thought what in the world have I done. I remember texting my parents that night saying, “I want to come home.” Now, three weeks later, I’m enjoying it so much they can hardly get ahold of me! The beginning is a lot. Between new people, a new school, a new semester, a new apartment, a new language, and a new country, it’s a lot to take on at once. Fortunately, because study abroad students just get kind of thrown in there, the adjustment process is relatively quick.
- I felt stupid.
The first night in Florence my roommates and I went out to dinner. We questioned everything. I’m not kidding, everything. We didn’t know how to order, how to read the menu, how tall to fill our wine glasses, how to get the check, how to pay the check, how to pronounce “Grazie”, and I think my favorite thing we questioned was how to eat the pizza. It sounds silly but it’s true! Pizza in Italy is served uncut and you get a whole pizza to yourself. We didn’t know if you were supposed to cut them into bites and eat it with a fork or cut triangles and eat it with your hands, and lastly, was it rude to ask for a box to take your leftovers home? I was so full, but I ate the whole pizza because I thought it would be rude to leave it but also to ask to take it with. Don’t be me, just ask for a box.
- I felt lost.
Emotionally and physically. Was I happy or sad? Excited or scared? Left or right? I didn’t know. However, I figured it out! Nothing a little google maps couldn’t fix when I got lost and the repetition of walking around made all the streets recognizable over time. As far as figuring out emotions go, that’s just something you have to feel completely, talk through, journal about, and rest on.
- I felt exhausted.
The first week I felt like I needed to do everything all at once and to constantly exert myself to the fullest. I’m really glad I did all that I did, but boy was I tired. The good thing is you walk and do so much during the day that it keeps you distracted and at the end of the night when you snuggle down, you sleep hard.
- I felt excited!
The first week isn’t all bad, it was actually really good! With everything that’s scary also comes confidence boosts or opportunities to learn. I was scared because I didn’t know how to speak Italian or how to get food at the market, but I was so excited knowing that in a short time I would know how to get those fresh groceries and understand/speak bits and pieces of the beautiful language. Each small victory like ordering a croissant in a bakery without English or getting to class without directions or getting fresh produce at the market boosts confidence and helps you to focus on the bigger things in study abroad like how amazing it is that you get to live in Italy for four months.
The first week abroad is daunting. It’s a whirlwind of activities, emotions, new faces, and new places. When they say you grow through this experience, they aren’t kidding. I can’t wait to share more of my experience with the rest of you.
Ciao,
Alexa Jo
Euro Alexa Jo 