100 days left in Italy

Over six months have passed since I arrived here in Italy. In some ways it feels like I have been here much longer, yet for certain things, I continue to be fascinated and surprised. If you count today, I have exactly one hundred days left as an exchange student, and I believe that I can truly say that it has been an extraordinary experience that I cannot compare to anything else.

As the sun hides away behind a rock and the grass, I start to realize that my time in Italy is more over than I thought.

As with anything you do for an extended period of time, being an exchange student has its highs and lows. Luckily for me, there have been more highs than lows, more joy than sorrow. I am thankful for such great people and places (and food) that I have come across so far this year. Now that we are in March, I think I am at a point where I can see the end of this year start to creep up on me, while before it always seemed to be far off in the distance. As my time dwindles down, I am trying even harder to see more, taste more, feel more, and experience more in general.

With 180 days behind my back, the hundred to come seem even smaller. And the closer I get to the end, the more I realize that I am not really sure if I want to arrive there. Of course, the closer I get to June, the nicer the weather will be – but this adds even more to the bittersweet feeling that I know is on its way.

“Tanto si deve scoprire all’esterno, tanto si deve progredire all’interno.”

~Giordano Bruno

One of the many things I have studied in Philosophy this year, that quote above reads, “As much as you need to discover on the outside, that much you need to progress on the inside.” What this means for me is that, although I have discovered and seen many things on the outside, I have also grown very much on the inside. And although I might not realize it immediately, when I look back at myself before coming to Italy less than a year ago, I realize how much I have evolved into a totally different person.

In some ways, it seems as if this whole year has been a sort of extended day dream in which I am inadvertently learning a new language, immersing myself in a new culture, and adding a few extra pounds. The worst part is that once I wake up this summer, not only will I still have those extra pounds, but I fear that I will have regrets for not having done as much this year as I could have. Of course, on a day to day basis, I do feel like I am discovering new things, but before I leave, there are some things I still feel I should do. Among these are: visit Rome and Florence (as well as other parts of Tuscany), expand my Italian vocabulary, and try to eliminate any traces of a Spanish accent in my spoken Italian. Of course, I still want to leave plenty of time to make new friends with not only Italians, but fellow exchange students.

On the bright side, I have a hundred days to do this. In a few hours I will be down to double digits.