Returning Home

I have recently returned from my study abroad trip in Milan, Italy, and I wanted to share some of the cultural events I got to experience as well as my perspective of re-acclimating to life in the United States. 

Just before I left, I got to see what the Christmas season is like in Milan and a few other countries. Near the Duomo, there are little buildings set up along the streets surrounding the structure with different Christmas vendors selling candy, ornaments, and more. There were also ice-skating rinks set up in Milano Centrale and in Porta Romana. I went to the one in Porta Romana with my friend one weekend, and it was a lot of fun. You do have to pay a small fee to get in, but it was really nice because it was not too crowded.

I also got to see some Christmas markets in both Paris and Germany as well as the beginnings of the markets in Austria. Some markets had more of a carnival theme (in Paris, there was a Ferris wheel and other rides), some were very food heavy, and others were primarily craft vendors. 

This is a picture from the Christmas market in Paris when I went with my friend from Bocconi!

While I was abroad, I also had the pleasure of tasting many foods that were considered ‘famous’ to the culture in each respective country. For example, when I was in Portugal, I tried Pastel de Nata, which is this yellowish custard dessert. It reminded me of the cookies my family makes at Christmas time just in custard form. It was interesting because there were some bakeries that when you walked in, the only thing in the dessert cases were these Pastel de Natas. 

I also went to the Hofbräuhaus in Germany and got to experience the typical German cuisine of sauerkraut, brats, and a nice big pretzel.  

As for my return home, I have to say it was much easier adjusting to life in Italy than it was coming home. Coming to Italy, I expected things to be different and new and allowed myself a learning curve. However, I did not really expect to come home and have things that used to be so normal for me feel really different and new. This made the transition back home feel a little bit weird, and it caught me off guard. 

One of the biggest things I have had to re-teach myself is how to write the date. In Italy, on all of my forms and papers, we wrote the date as day, month, year. In America though, it is month, day, year. As silly as this may seem, it can really mess me up sometimes. 

While I was abroad, I never really got homesick. This is because initially, when I arrived in Milan, I always knew in the back of my mind that I was going to go home at some point. When I was leaving Italy though, it occurred to me that I would not be returning anytime soon, which made the departure much harder as Italy had started to feel like home for me. 

As I reminisce on my trip, I have picked out three things that I miss the most about Italy. The first thing I miss is my daily latte macchiato and cappuccino from the cafés I became a regular at. I miss the interactions with the employees and having them all remember my order by heart.

The second thing I am starting to miss is the freedom I felt while in Milan. I was able to hop on a train, plane, or any form of transportation I could dream of with ease, travel to neighboring countries, and visit cool, new, exciting places. Back home, there are still things to do and see, but it lacks the same element of excitement. 

The final thing that I miss the most about Italy is the friends that I made while there. I grew such a connection with some of them, and then, it felt like we were ripped apart pretty quickly and are all back in our respective areas of the world now. It is kind of sad that some of those friendships were so short lived. However, I am hoping that the distance between us will force us to travel more to see each other!

Being abroad has taught me so much about myself and the world, and I am forever grateful that I had the opportunity to do this. It still seems so surreal, and part of me does not even feel like I was gone, almost like it was a fever dream. For now, I am happy to be home with friends and family, but I can’t wait for my future adventures!