I did not expect to leave Italy when I did. The other American students and I were sent home early because of the Covid-19 pandemic. In February, we heard news that the quickly-spreading virus had entered Rome. At first, we were not worried because we thought the virus would be contained before it reached Florence. We were scheduled to leave for a field trip to Naples and Sicily on March 3rd, but during the pre-departure meeting on February 25th, we were told that the trip had been cancelled and we were not to travel outside of Florence. It was at that point that we began to worry we could be sent home.
Our school counselors assured us that if the virus did not reach Florence, we could stay. A few days later, the news reported numerous cases of the coronavirus in Florence and all the American and Italian schools were closed. On Tuesday, March 3rd, we were told we would be going home. We received the news on a Tuesday and by the weekend, we were on flights back to the States.
Saying goodbye to Italy was difficult. A lot of the students were sad and angry that they had to leave. We had worked so hard to get to Italy. We had studied another language for at least a year, worked and saved our money and left our family and friends behind.
