Such a hard time getting back from such a beautiful and unforgettable month abroad in Italy. It has been very painful to cut my experience abroad short. My perceptions of my identity from my first blog post haven’t changed, though. I still have my same mentality because I won’t let these drastic life and disappointing changes change who I am and how I think! I am still a young person who is just beginning to experience the world and have new connections and relations abroad. I am so thankful that I had the chance to be abroad for the time I had because I was able to meet some incredible people and places that changed my life. People who were abroad and I met, most of them, had my same mentality of how to experience the world. We all had the mentality of meeting new people, experience a new culture and adapt/respect that culture, as well as traveling and meeting new places. My time abroad has changed my way of thinking of life. I have realized that not everything may go as planned, but every single experience is a life lesson and an opportunity to start a new chapter in your life. In my time abroad I taught myself many things like being more independent, social, open-minded and reduce my fear of going alone so far away from my family and friends. I am now more familiar with Rome and Italian culture, and I also have built amazing relationships with locals from Italy and other students who have my same shared experience. My cut-short semester abroad is an experience I will never forget and am thankful for, not regretting a single thing about it. Italy, after all this chaos, I am coming back for you!
