I sometimes find my mind drifting into the place I've only seen in textbooks, on website, and--yes--through my growing collection of pinterest pins: the beautiful country of Italia. I've heard before that you should never give up on something you can't go a day without thinking about. Well, I've been thinking about Italia just about everyday for my last three years of college. After my freshman year, I decided to go on a study abroad to Italia--a travel destination that has been on top of my bucket list since I can remember. Due to a series of events and circumstances, I decided to withdraw from the program. Although I believe that I made the right decision for myself, at that time in my life, I can't help but wonder how my life might have been affected if I had gone. Rather than always wondering, and asking myself "what if..?" for years to come, I've decided to pursue one of my dreams: traveling to Italia!
During high school I had the opportunity to travel to England and Amsterdam; I have some amazing memories, photographs, and a few realizations about other cultures, to show for it. While the experience was wonderful, in retrospect, I have realized that a two week trip to another country--where I got by on the three phrases I knew in that language, and a American facilitator directing me through the tourist sites--did not give me a true or deep understanding of those countries and cultures. I want more than a fun trip and cute Facebook pictures out of my travel experiences. I want to go to Italia to learn the language, to know the people, to understand their culture and to experience Italia as they do. When I heard about a full-immersion field study program in Italia, I knew I had found my jackpot.
"Why Italia?" you may ask. Well, to be honest, when I started looking into study programs my freshman year, it was because it sounded...cool. I loved learning about the history of Italia in my humanities classes and had a burning desire to see sites like the Colosseum and the Leaning Tower of Pisa in real life. It wasn't until I progressed further into my studies of psychology and began preparing for Marriage and Family Therapy graduate school, that I began developing an interest in (and maybe the beginnings of a love for) the Italian people and their culture. I have become so interested in the Italian family--their strong ties and their concern for interdependence over independence. I have read research article after research article on the low cohabitation rates in Italia--it is actually a common thing for children to live with their parents until they are in their late twenties or early thirties! Along with their low cohabitation rates, Italians also have extremely low divorce rates in comparison to other countries. I can deduce why this might be--based on the research I have done--but I have come to realize that research articles can only take me so far, and that if I truly want to learn about the Italian people and their culture, I must experience it--firsthand. So, come April 2010, I'M GOING TO ITALIA!
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