I have always been someone who loves to experience new things. My whole life I have been curious about places I have never been, people I have never met, and things I have never experienced. This love for new things has led me to be a very outgoing person who will interact with nearly anyone who comes near me. I always want to hear someone else’s story or discuss some topic to see their point of view on it. This love for experiencing new things has created this desire to live in another country since I was in middle school. Once I found out about study abroad programs in college, and even more specifically about my program, I came to the realization I could live in another country. I think that because of my willingness to experience new things and meet new people, I will find myself interacting with more people in my host country and getting a larger understanding of the culture.
One of the biggest parts of my identity currently is being a student. This creates a part of me that loves to learn, and I am open minded to learn new things. This love for learning will make it so I want to see more of Italy’s culture and how their country functions. I think that this will make it so I have an enhanced experience. I already find myself reading news stories about Italy’s government and the new political wave. Being someone who identifies as being politically active, I think it will be a very good experience for me to experience another culture for long enough to see how it interact with their politics. I do believe that this part of my identity could make my experience different to someone who has different beliefs than me. I personally find myself to fall on the left, but Italy is seeing a rise in what America would consider more conservative socially. This could influence the way that I want to emerge myself into their culture an could create a little more of a hesitation towards it, but someone who had similar views to them could find themselves identifying more with the culture.
Overall the way the I choose to identify will make my experience different than anyone else’s. The parts of the culture that I find important or I want to learn more about vary from others. I also am going there to experience new things and Europe on a larger scale, so this can give me a snapshot of many cultures. I also hold being a friend as one of the largest parts of my identity and I am able to be studying abroad with many friends. I will be inclined to make memories with them, but others could be studying abroad to learn more about themselves. Our identity shapes the way we view the world and how everyone experiences new events in their lives.