Thanks for the Memories Italia: Reflections on a Semester Abroad

Written by Mallory January 3, 2017

The last selfie we took in Venice!

We ventured to the island to get one last Italian dinner!

The last picture I took in PDG. I packed way too much.

Passport and ticket to home!

Emma took this from the other side of the glass. She was leaving the EU on her first leg and I was staying in it. It was sad to be separated to get to our gates!

My family met me with balloons, my dog and a surprise new puppy!

After being gone for almost three months, I can honestly say I’m happy to be back. In my last few days at CIMBA, I was so full of emotions and they ranged from happiness about going home, sadness for leaving Paderno and stress about finals and packing. My emotions would fluctuate dramatically, one minute laughing and dancing around my room with Emma as we packed to twenty minutes later being on the verge of tears as we ate one of our last bowls of pasta in the cafeteria. It was definitely some of the weirdest few days I have ever experienced.

On our last night in Venice, a few of the Furman students ventured to the island to have one last Italian dinner. We reminisced about the good times and the bad ones. We talked about our great adventures and things we would never forget. We talked about Paderno del Grappa and how much we grew to love it. As our night drew to a close we said our goodbyes because our flights all left at different times the next morning. We knew that we would all see each other in January at school, so that was a bit of a relief! My flight was at 7:00 the next morning. Emma and I both woke up at 3:30am anxious to start our journeys home. We hurried to the lobby and then shuttled to the airport. My first leg was a flight that remained in the EU and Emma was on a flight with a few other CIMBAians to the UK. Sadly we all had to separate to get to our gates. Once they went through passport control, I was all alone. It was so weird to be traveling alone for the first time in months, but it did give me some time to reflect. As I boarded my plane, departing for the last time from VCE, an airport I spent so much time in, I became super sentimental. My study away time was coming to a close faster than I was willing to accept. I was on a plane headed home and there was nothing I could do about it. The pilot was not going to not take off and I was not going to miss my connection. I was headed home. At the same time I was also so excited. I was so, so ready to see my family and to sleep in my own bed.

I watched the plane taking everyone to London take off right before me. I had an indescribable feeling in the pit of my stomach as we started to accelerate down the runway, definitely a mixture of emotions I’m sure I won’t feel again for a really long time, but I was ready to be on my way. I landed in Paris and collected my luggage (which I had way too much of). I ran from terminal two to terminal one to check into my next flight. After going through passport control and security. I grabbed a quick bite before heading to my gate. As I boarded my plane with only my backpack, I felt as if I was just taking another weekend trip, but that was not the case at all. On my flight across the Atlantic – that was just shy of nine hours long – I had lots of time to think and watch movies of course!

I came to a few conclusion on my flight back. I knew that I had changed while I was away. I had grown as an individual. I experienced so many things that molded me into a different version of myself. I wasn’t completely different, but at the same time there are some parts about me now that are completely changed. I was on my own thousands of miles from anything familiar for three months, so yes, change was inevitable. And I’m glad that I changed. I am confident in my ability to “be a real adult” and figure things out. I was placed in so many different situations, both good and bad, that made me work on problem solving skills and flexibility.

I also thought a lot about the people I shared this experience with. Though we might all not have gotten to know each other super well and might now be separated by thousands of miles, we will always share a bond. Going through an experience that puts you so far out of your comfort zone, like study abroad, bonds individuals. We shared good times and bad times. We lived in one hall on campus and shared in the trials and success that come with school. We enjoyed hearing about each others travels and the memories they made. And we shared our frustrations when cultures clashed. It was weird to think that we will never all be together again, but at the same time we will be connected forever.

As my nine hour flight came to a close and we began our final decent, I looked out the window and saw the Washington Monument and DC skyline and knew I was home. I couldn’t stop smiling. We landed and disembarked. As I walked through the snaking the line of passport control, I saw a familiar blue luggage tag. There was a man about ten people in front of me with a blue CIMBA luggage tag. I had never seen this man before in my life. He was a total stranger. This was just a little reminder that even though we might seem alone and far from fellow CIMBAians, we are never really fully alone. It made being home even easier. As I made it through passport control, I never saw him again. I grabbed my luggage off the carousel and made my way through customs. I walked out to my family waiting for me with huge 21 birthday balloons in hand. They brought my dog and a new puppy they had just picked up two days before.

I am so thankful I decided to study away. I am so blessed I had the opportunity to go and better myself and grow as person. I made memories and friend that will last my lifetime. My friends and I joke now about just buying a plane ticket back to Venice on a whim, but in a weird way we aren’t joking. We are all so ready to go back to Paderno. They were probably the best three months of my life and I would do it again in a heart beat. Is it too late to sign up for the spring semester?

Ciao for now!