The Grass Is Always Greener On The Other Side Of The Fence

Ciao a tutti,

I write this post to my blog followers in a current state of stress. Not stressed because the school work is too vigorous for me to handle, but because I cannot seem to make friends; this is a problem I have never experienced in the past. Italians always seem to stay in their one set of friends. The group of friends is usually 3-8 people per group. A majority of the groups consist of the same gender all throughout the group. I have multiple friends of the female gender thanks to the three-week trip in Paris. If you haven't figured out what I'm getting at, I don't really have a "group" in which I'm a part of. My best friends are Mats (the other exchange student in Siracusa), Rachele, Letizia, and Samantha.

The title of my post "The Grass Is Always Greener On The Other Side Of The Fence" is a saying in which I didn't believe prior to my departure to Italy. I thought this year was going to be paradise from beginning to end. I sure do believe the saying now. I think I came to Europe expecting too much, instead of arriving with a completely open mind. Please don't be concerned that I'm regretting my decision to be an exchange student because never, ever will I regret my decision to study abroad for one year. Being an exchange student teaches you so much about yourself, gives you a new perspective on the world and people, and makes you look at everything in a new set of eyes. This is something a textbook, a teacher, or even a past, present, or future exchange student can't teach you; it is something that you have to be courageous enough to try and discover for yourself.

The struggles that are upon me will only take time. Maybe I need to just hang back and let others approach me, or maybe I need to approach them. I haven't quite figured that out yet. Worry not, my dear blog followers. I am not one to give up and I certainly am not one to give up this early. I will continue to try my best to meet new friends and hopefully feel included.

I miss my friends, family, my cat, my air conditioner, my school, my church, my hometown, my pogo stick, my liberties as an American, my Xbox 360, beating Elliot and Azmon in FIFA (NOT!), the English language, my strong internet connection, my purple blanket that keeps me warm each night, cheeseburgers, my sweat pants, my basketball team, going to Friday night football games, fluffy pillows, watching CNN everynight, Spotify, Netflix, the American school system, Dairy Queen blizzards, a cell phone that actually works, Best Buy, Charleston Chews, the Coldplay concert (still the most fun I've ever had in my life), getting to drive, American radio stations, big screen TV's, road trips, and everything else that I forgot to mention.

I put those in no specific order. I was just typing what came to my mind.

Italy is a great place but I'm just a little homesick so I had to reflect on what I miss.

I miss you America. See you in eight months.

AF