During college, I spent a year in Florence, a city in central Italy filled with Renaissance art and museums, but my experience this year has been completely different. My work in Calabria has brought me closer to Italian culture, farther from the tourist centers of the big cities, and right into the the everyday lives of the people who live here. I’ve had the chance to visit incredible places, see amazing things and, of course, learn much more Italian and a lot more about teaching! Small towns like Roccella Ionica offer a special chance to connect more deeply with the local culture and people. I’m the only American living in my entire town, which means I get to have exciting conversations with people all the time.
There are many ways, especially during and after college, that you can explore the world. Programs like Fulbright can support you while you learn and travel. Whether you travel on your own, study, teach or explore in some other way, it is always worth it. Learning about the lives of other people has helped me grow as a person. I feel more adventurous and much more prepared for the future. I’ve learned what I can offer the world and the people around me, and I couldn’t have done that without making mistakes or sometimes feeling a little scared. It’s completely natural to feel scared or worried. What matters most is that you keep trying your best and stay curious about the world around you. Even when I was stuck in an airport for seven hours in Switzerland, I trusted that things would work out one way or another. The most important thing was taking a deep breath and doing my best. Some of my experiences were full of chaos and mix-ups, and others went smoothly. All of them have been meaningful.
