Meghan Harmening | Blogger

After being abroad in Florence for just over two months, I can comfortably say I have found myself a second home. Did I think this would happen? Absolutely not. How did this happen? That’s a longer story.

If you’d asked me a few weeks into my journey here I would have told you Florence was beautiful, but that I just wasn’t feeling at home here. My personality is one that requires longer than hanging out once to make friends. Additionally, I also prefer a few close friends to a larger number of simply acquaintances. I thought that was my problem honestly. A large percentage of the program participants get their socializing in my going out at night, every night. Not only is that not me, but I have class at 9am every day. If I couldn’t even make friends with the Americans here, I thought I wouldn’t be able to find a second home here.

Boy was I wrong. After about six weeks of being abroad, I’d experienced all the hardships one could have. I forgot my debit card at home and mail service is slow here (think, four weeks for a single letter to arrive). I hadn’t made any solid friends and was focusing on how horrible the rest of my experience would be if I didn’t make any. I got homesick at least three times that resulted in a stream of tears and a box of tissues used. I also got actually sick twice which is really just never fun, especially when Mom isn’t there get you more crackers and cough medicine.

But my goal here isn’t to make you feel bad for me, because all of those things are a part of the experience I’m having here. Of course jumping across the ocean and starting a new life abroad isn’t easy. That would take away the fun of it in my opinion. I’ve learned so much about myself just from the hardships I’ve experienced. These difficult times helped me to figure out what’s important in life, in a second home.

I befriended a few locals and that was where my experience changed. Not only had I integrated myself into the culture through food and schedule, but now I had locals to help me through the change. I sit for hours in the local cafés drinking cappuccinos and studying. A local friend, Gosha, works at one of my favorite cafés, and even gives me free cookies sometimes! My host mom, Cinzia, invites me to local events which also helps a great deal. At some point I had to tell myself this was a once in a lifetime experience – never again will I study in another country with no outside responsibilities. I make a point to explore a new area of Florence at least once a week, if not more. Studying abroad requires a mindset that not everyone realizes at first. It requires a complete immersion into the culture, which can be difficult when surrounded by other Americans.

Once I decided to truly immerse myself in the culture, my experience turned around. Of course I still miss my family and friends, even some professors, but this experience has an expiration date on it, and that won’t change. December 23rd I will be reunited with my family, but this experience will be over. I’ll save these memories for years to come, and regrets simply aren’t an option.

So I’m taking this experience into my own hands and falling in love with Florence. Finding a second home is walking home at night and not being afraid. It’s exploring the city and being able to find your way home despite getting lost. It’s attending local events and being comfortable to communicate half in Italian, half in English. It’s trying and eating all the food even if I’m already stuffed – and not getting sick of all the pasta. It’s falling asleep at the end of the day, content with where I am.