DO YOU COME FROM A LAND DOWN UNDER, WHERE WOMEN GLOW AND MEN PLUNDER

On the 10th day left abroading, Europe gave to me...

#17- GELATO
#16- ABROAD SONGS
#15- PERSISTENT HAWKERS
#14- ITALIAN WEATHER
#13- ABROAD CONSTANTS
#12- #STUDYABROADPROBLEMS
#11- OLD STOVE PORCELLINO


#10- 3,991 MILES


That is the approximate distance between Firenze, Italia and Easton, MA. Now why would a distance of space impact my abroad experience? It's because I'm so far from a comfort zone. Well, duh obviously. I needed the space. I needed to get back to and figure out more of me. That's pretty much the whole point of studying abroad aside from getting classes you can't get back home, living in a foreign city to experience culture, and to travel casually at the perfect time in you life to do so.


Aside from the obvious, the distance did me right for so many reasons. I feel like college is a great life springboard to finally be whoever the frig you want to be, you can start fresh and be friends with who you want to be without reservations.. and being abroad is only a even more speedier version. It helps you realize who is really there for you, who will put in the effort to keep in touch or visit you or even spend a month and a half lying to you to only surprise you (Hal & Julie still thankful for that weekend). Whether it be replying to a fb message or randomly skyping you to randomly chatting you up on the book, it matters when you are gone for almost 4 months in somewhere you have never experienced. The 3,991 miles should not get in the way of keeping in touch with the people you care about and the people who care about you. 


To quote Meredith Grey..
"At some point, you have to make a decision. Boundaries don't keep other people out. They fence you in. Life is messy. That's how we're made. So, you can waste your lives drawing lines or you can live your life crossing them."


The distance has only made friendships more obvious and stronger if nothing else. My group of Sem friends have still remained close despite our inability to communicate well with each other (and that will always continue). It has been particularly hard without being with Molly for what will be almost 5 months, but knowing how much her experiences in South Africa have impacted her I couldn't care less about the length of time with our distance, i'm proud of her grown and so glad to have her as one of my best friends. 


The Peer Mentor group has had such a profound effect on me as a person for being able to get to know 60ish very different amazing people in their own right has enabled me to be a stronger person. This group of people is so perfectly ridiculous. We're all obsessed with each other in ways I know irk non PMs, but I personally couldn't care less because that group of people means the world to me sometimes. When I was absolutely hating Italy, some of them were the ones that were there for me without question. The majority of that group are just beyond all around good people. They care and always tried to stay in touch with me, some of whom I wasn't even really close friends with til before I left.


I think the main point to sparknote this all is that, I know who my real friends are and who I want to put the effort into seeing and talking to when I get back to America.