thoughts, observations, reflections by Addie..

May 2024

This past month involved two school trips to Naples and Sicily, day travel opportunities, and school assignments. The conclusion of our Sicily trip marked the end to our school trips, which marks another milestone.

The night we returned back to Viterbo from our Sicily trip, I remember I was exhausted and needed a day to just recharge.

For me, if the weather permits, recharging means walking around and keeping in touch with nature. But because the day we got back from Sicily had been rainy weather, I spent half the day catching up on school work and spending some time in a local cafe, that we always go to, with my friend. Returning back to Viterbo meant returning back to our usual cafe, which meant that 1 didn’t even have to explain my order at the counter and they
already knew what I had wanted: a cappucino and cornetto with chocolate.

After we finished completing our school works, we continued to just talk about whatever had sparked our interest and laughed, and just genuinely had a great time. After that half day in our usual cafe, 1 felt recharged
and ready to get back into the rhytym of school.

Sometimes there are moments of studying abroad that is hard, because not only are we studying but also adjusting to a new routine of life, engaging in new cultures, and maintaining good habits. And at times, all that can be mentally draining. So, just like for me staying in a cafe or taking walks around Viterbo is recharging for me, it is crucial that during a year abroad that there are moments to recharge so it can help us refocus and keep the inspiration moving forward.

May 2024

When we first arrived to Italy, everything we did was a first: first coffee, first stroll, first friends, first “italian” words, first sleep, first classes. We were all like different flower seeds planted into the ground and as time moved on, we bloomed and blossomed. And as our time started to countdown and we were already halfway into May, our remaining came down to a basket of “lasts”: last spaghetteria, Bar103, Ugo Gelateria, Ghost Chilli, Bistrot Del Teatro, and Rome. 

On the last Monday, as a school we headed down to Rome for the last time for our “Arrivederci Roma” to visit our favorite places one last time and toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain as a memorable way to to close out a chapter of our life and that maybe in a few years we will find ourselves back in Italy. 

And for the last time, as I stepped out of the palazzo, and down the stairs and through the big green door, I remember this will be the last time I will, as a SYA student, be in that palazzo. I look back and remember all the classes and discussions, community meetings, laughs, and the times where I would gaze at the frescoes in the salone. 

Our time has finally come to an end. Since Spring is a season of rebirth and renewal, and like the flowers on the terrace of my host family’s house that finally started to bloom in mid-April, it’s time for the beginning of a new class – the blooming of a new class. And just like at the end of a life cycle of a flower, it was time for seed dispersal. It was time for each of us to return back to our respective homes, and a new class to bloom. The school stands empty awaiting for next years students to fill the same spaces we once occupied and bloom in such beautiful ways, and make long-lasting memories we now carry with us back home.

April 2024

As I was making my back from the airport from Spring Break, I did my usual route from Rome back to Viterbo, which was to take the train back. Usually I took it from the station at San Pietro, but because the Trastevere station was the closest to the airport, my dad and I took the train from there. 

We had arrived at the stop a little earlier than the train was supposed to depart from the station, so I decided to stop by a local caffe and get a snack and some water. While my dad was working at the station, I had gone out to find some food. The surrounding felt familiar, which later I found was because it was the first ever view of Rome I got to experience. It was when we had a fieldwork to Rome! Except now, six months later when I first visited Rome, I knew my way around a little bit better. 

I had stopped at a caffe, and I was looking around at the food and deciding what to get, when I heard my name being said faintly behind me. I didn’t think much of it and just continued to find what food I wanted. But then my name got called louder, sounding like the voice got closer and closer to me. I turned around and to my surprise I saw my host sister!       

That was a coincidence I would have never expected to happen. What were the odds that I would be able to see my host sister at a cafe near one of the many train stations that lead to Viterbo and at the exact time. 

The experience of studying abroad is filled with unexpected things, which makes it so funny and unique. And the chances of seeing my host sister on a random Sunday afternoon at a local cafe in Rome are so small, but it happened. And just like back at home that even in the most random places we will bump into people we know, I got a similar feeling at the train station, reminding me that maybe Italy is like a second home. 

February 2024

As second semester rolled around the corner, and the new students came in, the full year students were tasked to show the new students around Viterbo, and bring them up to speed and fill them in on what we learned during first semester.

The opportunity to show the second semester students around Viterbo was the perfect way for me to “measure” my progress thus far. While taking the new students on a tour around Viterbo, including showing them the “best” bars (caffe), restaurants, and places to study, it helped me to retrace what I did first semester, and think about the things I would like to continue or start in second semester.

During this time, I often thought back to the times when I had been in their position struggling with the language barrier while having to deal with such simple tasks, if it were back at home, but suddenly in a foreign country would be seemingly much harder, and more frustrating. There were many times that I had wished that there was a previous student next to me guiding me through every step. While that was not the case, having to get these tasks done alone helped me gain a develop a level of independence. 

For me, true mastery lies in the ability to teach others. So, as soon as the second semester students came, I used this as an opportunity to demonstrate my knowledge and “measure” my progress. I tried to help the semester students whenever I could, including walking to several different phone stores to get an Italian phone number, and at that moment I had realized my growth and a new skill unlocked. While there is no one way to make progress, being able to embrace and push past the challenges and failures, and eventual success indicates progress!

January 2024

As the days counted down to winter break, I became more and more excited of being able to explore Viterbo with my family by my side rather than through a phone screen. I started creating numerous of lists of my favorite places around Viterbo I wanted to show my family. And when my family had finally arrived, my first instinct was to hug them in a whole new country, and my new home. But something had felt different between me and my family, they were unfamiliar things about this country, but for me, after living here for four months some things they thought were new had begin to feel like the new normal. 

Our road trip took us around the north of Italy, visiting cities like Florence, Milan and Venice, each leaving us in great admiration. Often, I found myself as a mediator between the Italian locals and my family, communicating with my four months of Italian language knowledge between both sides. While my proficiency is no where near matched with the locals, with the four months I spent living here it surpassed my family’s knowledge of Italian. So at many times, even when it was as simple as asking for a bottle of water, my family would ask me and even though sometimes I might pause for a moment, but I would manage to be able to communicate the correct message. 

Back in Viterbo, we strolled through the different streets including Corso Italia, the street I live on, and I showed my family my favorite places to study, eat, or just to walk around. It was so much more exciting to be able to show my family my favorite places and usual path to school in real life rather than through a phone screen. As we passed through less prominent streets, I realized that some of it I didn’t even recognize. But then I understand that I am not a local that knows every corner of Viterbo, but neither do I fall into the category of a tourist because many of these places and streets are recognizable to me. And after my family visited me in my new routines, I realized that I’m past the tourist phase, but also not a local – perhaps somewhere in between.

As the first semester comes to an end, and as the year closes out and the Christmas lights are illuminating the streets of Viterbo, I begin to reflect on the growth that I have made in my first semester abroad. This first semester felt like a dream, unlike any other back home, and consisted of a lot of calls and texts, which is inevitably a part of studying abroad. These four months felt more like an adjustment period and a time of discovering things I never knew about myself. 

Part of the study abroad experience that drew me in was that everyday was a new adventure. No two days are going to be the same inviting us to stay in the present moment, to really be able to savour every moment, and be open-minded. Everyday presented me with new challenges to tackle, and while some days I would go to bed feeling accomplished, there were also some days that I felt defeated and weak. Regardless I would always stop, look back, and celebrate the little victories along the way.  

If someone had told pre-SYA me that I was going to travel to Rome all alone, I would have not believed it. When we had our first fieldwork to Rome, I vividly remember pacing around the school thinking about all the possible mistakes I would make like missing the train, getting on the wrong train, or anything else that would cause a scene. Traveling to Rome required taking a one hour train ride from Viterbo and depending on the specific destination Rome, it also requires another public transportation system such as the metro. Once we arrived, I felt disorientated not knowing where I was suppose to go. I barely knew the language, and despite that Rome was a tourist city, I refuse to use English to ask for directions so I could practice my Italian. Finding the train station to return to Viterbo was the hardest part which included trying to find an appropriate time to go back at and from which station. By the time we found which station we were going to walk to we had to sprint to the station. But once we had gotten on the train on our way to Viterbo, I celebrated this little victory. Each subsequent time we had fieldworks to Rome felt progressively easier, because the more I practice, the better I will become at it. 

During my time abroad, I will inevitably face setbacks, but I remind myself that I once dreamt of being where I am now. And even if that means I will make countless mistakes now, the more I do it, the better I become at it, and maybe one day it will become all the stories I share, and become a part of who I am.