Hey J.Y.A. fans! This is my final blog, I am sad to say! Sharing my semester abroad with you all has been unreal. Thanks for your support and for watching me on my journey in Rome and Europe!

I hope you have enjoyed watching and learning along with me this fall semester in Italy. I also hope you have learned a lot about studying abroad and what a positive impact it can have on a college student’s life.

I cannot even begin to describe what this opportunity to study abroad and to share my experiences on J.Y.A. has meant to me. Living in Rome, even if it was for only 4 months, was a dream come true. It was the perfect place for me to study abroad; it fit on so many levels: for one, the culinary adventure was amazing; additionally the churches and the proximity of the seat of Catholicism (i.e. the Vatican) made for meaningful spiritual learning and development; the history the city provides allowed for an interactive learning experience; and exposure to Italian language and culture truly broadened my horizons and changed my perspective.

I think it will take some time for myself and others to fully notice and understand how I have changed as a result of this experience. I think it is revealed overtime, although some changes are immediately apparent. A greater confidence, being more sure of myself, and an increased sense of independence have definitely resulted from my time abroad. Certain things that I might have thought difficult, challenging, or unpleasant don’t seem to be that big of a deal after living and surviving on my own in Europe for four months. Having to take care of myself and figure out everything in a foreign country has made doing anything in my home country seems significantly easier. There are also certain conveniences and aspects of American life and culture that I have a greater appreciation for after living abroad. As much as I loved living in Italy, there are and always will be certain irreplaceable comforts of the U.S. to which I am glad to return…real showers, technology, no swarms of tourists…to name a few. But it is also great to know that I can and do enjoy the unfamiliar and the challenges of living in a foreign country.

And being able to share my adventures and all I have learned on NBC’s J.Y.A. has made my experience even more meaningful. It’s been great to keep my family and friends posted on my travels via the Internet, but it’s also great to know that I have been impacting people I don’t know and that I may help other students make the decision to study abroad. I hope others can learn from my experiences and that they take my advice when making this life-changing decision. And if you think it might be right for you—go to Rome! I don’t think you could possibly regret spending a semester or a year in the Eternal City!

Again, I’d like to say thanks to all of you who have been watching and following my journey. Herein my journey ends, and it’s the time for your’s to begin!

If you have a question or comment, please don’t hesitate to post a comment or shoot me an email. I’m happy to help out and will be sure to get back to you! Thank you and goodbye!

Posted by Lisa at 12:47 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Reverse culture shock. Readjustment. These are the things you might not hear about so much when you plan to study abroad. You get all the advice and do all the preparing to go abroad, but what about when you return from the best experience of your life? How do you come back to mundane, unexciting everyday life in the States? How do you return to your old life after a semester of daily adventures and challenges?

Fortunately, my school provided a session prior to our departure to address the issues of reverse culture shock and readjustment. So I had heard about these as well as received a packet of information on what to expect and how to deal with returning from studying abroad. It can be difficult to return to US culture and to friends and family who have not been abroad and cannot understand what you’ve experienced. It can also be frustrating when you feel different and know that you have changed as a result of your experience abroad, yet your family and friends do not recognize or understand this change.

It’s the end of my first week back in the good ole US of A, and looking back at this information I was given, I am trying to see how much of it has been true for me. At first, I was really excited to be back home and for the Christmas season. I think having the holidays here has helped to ease me back into my old life slowly, since there is a good deal of excitement surrounding this time of year.

As the week has progressed, though, I have longed for the excitement and challenges of everyday life abroad. And I miss having people around who have been through this experience with me. It’s so difficult to answer that question that everyone asks when you see them for the first time after being abroad: “So, how was it?!” How do you put into a simple sentence all the feelings and experiences that you had while abroad? “Amazing” and “Really fun” just don’t seem to cut it; but I use them anyways to dismiss the question.

I feel like if you really want to know what it was like, you just have to study abroad yourself. I think that’s the best any of us can say—to truly know, you have to have gone through it. So, my advice? Go through it! Study abroad! Gain an understanding of what this experience is like and how it can change you for the better. I always knew studying abroad would be fun, but how much I would learn and change I didn’t expect. It really was the most amazing time of my life. But don’t take my word for it. Go see for yourself.

Posted by Lisa at 11:38 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I’m home! I made it back after a 10 hour flight from Rome to Newark, passing through Immigration and U.S. Customs, wait time in the Newark airport, and then a 4 hour flight to Texas. I thought I would have been more exhausted after traveling for over 20 hours—not to mention it was 5 in the morning Rome time by the time I got home (after a welcome dinner with my parents). Well, I guess it just didn’t hit me until I laid my head on my bed and closed my eyes. I think I was out in less than a minute. I’ve never slept so soundly!

It’s good to be back, but now I have to face the challenge of unpacking and reorganizing my life here in the States. Right now my room has piles of clothes, gifts, paperwork, shoes, etc. all over the floor. I think I might injure myself if I try to cross it. I guess I should probably get to work. I’d kind of rather sleep, though; or go talk with my family. Ugh—and I thought packing was bad. Unpacking is no picnic either! I’ll write again when I finish unburying my floor!

Posted by Lisa at 07:01 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)