The biggest thing I learned about myself after studying abroad was how adaptable I had become. This article contains some of the anecdotes of my travel abroad experiences; since I usually only talk about the good in my articles, I thought it would be essential to highlight some of the struggles I overcame.
The first time I bought the wrong train ticket, I called my mom at 4 a.m. (Italy time), sobbing, telling her I was too stupid to study abroad. It was my first week.
A few weeks later, my phone completely broke, and I slept through a trip to Sienna I had planned, because I had no working phone, and no alarm. I had to text my boyfriend via my Mac to have him call my mom and tell her my phone wasn’t working, so she wouldn’t worry.
Then, I wrote down directions to the closest phone repair place on a physical notepad and began walking, desperately trying to remember stores and landmarks around me. I had been in Florence long enough that the streets looked familiar, but not long enough to really know my way around.
So, I arrived at a phone repair store, where the owners only spoke Chinese and Italian, so we used Google Translate to translate the problem via their phones. I made it home, and within a few hours, my phone was working again.
After that, I knew I could handle anything on my own. I traveled to so many cities, got stuck in so many train strikes, and always found my way home. If that meant calling my mom and complaining in confusion or walking up to a stranger and butchering some Italian to ask for help, I always found a way to make it work.
There was one time when I was stuck in the middle of nowhere, and a train strike I didn’t know about occurred, which was the day before one of my midterms. If I missed my exam, I would have automatically failed the class. So I was a little worried, but I made it back, and every time after that, I made sure to check there was no strike before I traveled.
This was also the longest time that I had ever been away from home – my mom, my pets, my home – and I did feel very homesick, but calling my mom always made me feel better. So did tiramisu and watching some comfort movies, and I had never been happier in my life.
Medical services in Italy were also distinctly different from back home, and I was lucky enough to receive tourist medical care. I heard from locals that it took them weeks just to make an appointment, and I had a horribly funny experience when I was ill.
First, we were told that the doctor’s office recommended that students allows walk-ins. I walked in, and was told that they don’t take walk-ins on days that they are busy, and today was a busy day. But there was a girl running late, so I could take her appointment.
More students from my school walk in, some of whom I recognize, and they are all turned away. I politely informed the receptionist that when the waiting area is empty, their website also says they take walk-ins, so that might be why there were so many confused students. She then starts yelling at me, partially in English, partially in Italian.
I then go back to see the doctor, who sits me down at a literal desk. She doesn’t take my vitals – no temperature, listening to my heart or breath, taking my heart rate, or anything. She just talks to me and takes my word. She writes a bunch of prescriptions for me.
I take this sheet of prescriptions and walk to a pharmacy where the technician fills it and then hands the slip back to me so I can follow the poorly written directions for the medication, which I can hardly understand.
The doctor’s office was on the 4th floor of a communal business and residence building (no elevator), which left my coughing issue even worse, but it was a very funny experience to recall, at least.
While traveling, especially in Greece, hot water had to be turned on 30 minutes before a shower, and most of the time, it did not work anyway. There was one coastal Airbnb that we had to plug every drain when not in use, or else “coastal smells” would seep into the rooms. Not sure what that meant, and did not want to find out.
I also dye my hair myself, so I had to go to an actual hairdresser when I was in Italy for the first time in my life, and it actually was delightful. He gave me chocolate and basically massaged my head for three hours, and did my hair in a third of the time it takes me.
Adaptability can be challenging, but it’s always beneficial. Change is beautiful and shows that you’re growing.
