Italy Was Right In Front Of Me, And I Still Missed Some Of It...

The Colosseum (Rome), the first stop on our 3-city tour of Italy

This might be the most introspective post I have written so far.

I was in Italy for 10 days (study abroad moment), and I feel like I missed out on a lot of fun experiences because I heavily prioritized schoolwork & sleep over the fun things.

The entire 10 days were chaotic, and by the end of most days I was completely & utterly exhausted. Absolutely zero chance anyone was convincing me to go out on the town, as college students might like to do with their free time. Heck, I was already sleeping!

For some reason, I would only be able to work on the assignments at night, because all of the applicable learning happened in the daytime. I remembered the important stuff, and it was fine to do all the assignments later on.

This post dives a little more into my approach and how I could have changed it.

The study abroad was short, and should have been enjoyed more, as opposed to constantly being worried I wasn’t getting enough sleep to complete assignments effectively. I was in Italy for goodness sake!

I remember being in complete awe of how beautiful Italian architecture & culture really is. I got to experience it after many attempts to get to Italy, and finally got there for this study abroad.

One of the experiences I missed was seeing the Colosseum at night. So, now I have incentive to return to Italy just to experience it for myself. I might have experienced it during the day, but honestly it's not the same. When people showed me the pictures from when they went to see the city at night, I just felt...defeated.

Exterior view of the Colosseum

Of course, I enjoyed the parts of the itinerary that weren’t originally scheduled (I’m a big fan of spontaneous plans!).

This is one of the spontaneous side quests we decided to experience as a group.

Honestly, I was not myself when I left for this journey, and it clearly affected how I adjusted to the new place. It was go, go, go right after we landed on Italian soil. As the first night was so late, it really threw me off. Usually, I am alright with jet lag, but this time was a bit different. I only knew about 5 people from before. So, it was a little bit awkward at first as well, because I think everyone was tentative to talk to one another. Quickly though, groups started forming, and I stuck with those getting the credit for the trip.

One thing I feel is important to note is that at this point in my life, albeit not too long ago at all, I was constantly thinking about what others thought of me and battling the voices in my head telling me I wasn't doing well, or that I'm not enough. This does not change that I am all for learning new things, especially when it's not in a classroom.

Eventually, I realized I needed something to change for me, so I started hanging out with other people more often. I made new friends, and that was something I realized I should have done much sooner. I firmly believe that the reason I never went out was because I was never fully comfortable until I started chatting with others outside the group I had known from before the study abroad. I helped one of my new friends who also happened to be friends with my childhood best friend (small world, eh?) when she unfortunately got hurt. We ended up being roommates for the remainder of the trip.

That being said, I started stepping out of my comfort zone more often.

For some positive context, our second stop was Florence, which was gorgeous, but the day we got there was quite rainy. This did not stop the activities planned for the day. I had brought an umbrella & poncho in my luggage, but I forgot them in the hotel room.

When it started pouring while we were out exploring Florence, I was not about to be convinced to purchase new ones.

So, I let my inner child out a little bit.

I walked back to the hotel without an umbrella or poncho.

When I tell you it was raining, IT WAS RAINING. And it was FUN. The most fun I have had in a long time.

I was happy as can be, and the result? I looked like I had taken a shower (and I had a big goofy grin on my face)!

Our last stop on the trip was Venice, and personally that was my favourite of the three major cities. And the one I finally decided it might be fun to go out for one night. And honestly, I would have regretted not going because it was majority of the group, leading to opportunities to talk to people I may not have spoken to prior!

Not to mention there’s safety in (familiar) numbers, especially abroad!

Venice - the third and final stop on the 10-day journey!

Writing this now, I want to kick myself for letting so many opportunities to live my young adult life slip away before I realized they were gone. At the time, my priorities definitely were not in the right place. Learning to have a good time and let go of negativity was something I needed.

I considered myself an introvert in my youth. Turns out, I was just surrounding myself with the wrong people.

Lessons to be learned from this post:

1. Don’t take experiences for granted - you might regret your decision later

2. Live life to the fullest - time is fleeting

3. Fight your battles, but don’t let them take you down.

4. Learn to identify & enjoy good company - it makes all the difference in the world

5. Have a little fun. Lighthearted approach to life helps!

Let me know in the comments if you thought about or learned anything by reading this!