As cliche as it sounds, studying abroad was truly a life changing experience. In many ways, it felt like I was living a second life – I was living in a new country and making new friends, I didn’t know the language or the culture I was immersed in, and I didn’t know the social cues needed to blend in. It was a humbling and exciting experience to adjust and live in a new place so far from home. I remember being nervous in the weeks leading up to our program’s start date, a part of me still didn’t think we would actually get to go after so many let-downs due to Covid. I was very nervous about going abroad without my family as well as not having any friends going with me. I now know it is natural and absolutely okay to be nervous and anxious about leaving what’s familiar for something new and unknown. There are going to be awkward and embarrassing moments when navigating language barriers and you are going to stand out as an American tourist abroad. It’s normal and it’s okay, you don’t have to blend in. At the start of my program, I would get embarrassed when I tried to take pictures of the beautiful architecture and art in Florence because I knew I would immediately out myself as being foreign and an “annoying” tourist. I learned to brush the embarrassment aside and take the photos I wanted to take. When was I ever going to have another experience like this?! I wanted to capture those memories and places, and I wanted to show my friends and family back home where I had been and what I had done during my time in Europe. I was never going to see the people who stared or got annoyed ever again, so why would I try to blend in for them? After being home for a month, whenever someone asks about my experience I confidently and honestly reply that I would go back in a heartbeat. After going on my Italian adventure, I feel confident that I could thrive and be happy anywhere I may go in the world. Residing in a country whose language and culture I was vastly unfamiliar with shaped my identity in a meaningful way. While there will always be moments in which I feel awkward and uncomfortable, I am more confident in myself than I ever have been. Living abroad in Italy, I found myself in situations where I was nervous, uncomfortable, and unprepared because I did not understand what was being spoken around me or to me, but it was a life changing experience. There are always going to be friendly people who will help, encourage, and guide you anywhere you may go in the world. Never be afraid to try something new.