But I leave on January 8th and I'm realizing how quickly that's approaching (is it December 23rd already? Where did all the time go? Have I watched that many old Cold Case episodes???). Anyway, like my "About Me" section says, I'll be going to Italy for a couple months with AHA International. I'm going to be studying in Macerata, Italy, which is in the Marche region. Currently, I'm a junior Sociology major at DePauw University, with minors in Psychology and Classical Archeaology. I just took the LSAT and am planning to go to law school after I complete my undergrad. I never really thought about studying abroad when I was applying for DePauw, I just wanted a diverse learning environment (which DePauw has) and I planned to maybe go on a trip abroad for Winter Term (the three week "semester" we have in January each year). After all, there's just so much to do at school - how could I ever miss an emtire semester? You know, there's ... classes, friends, parties with friends, Monon (our big football game) and Little 5 (our big bike race), and friends, and Greencastle and all the entertainment the town provides (we're getting a fro-yo shop soon, so basically we're poised to become the next New York City). Who could give all that up? Once my first year advisor told me I should study abroad (and listed various reasons why), I realized, well, duh. When else am I going to get to go live on my own in another country for a couple of months? Unless I'm Elizabeth Gilbert reincarnated and agree to write a sequal to Eat, Pray, Love -- and let's be real, I'd simply want to do the "Eat" section all over again.
So that mental breakthrough led me to search out programs. I knew I wanted to go to Italy, I've been having a mental love affair the country, culture, and food for as long as I can remember. An advisor at the school recommended I look into the Macerata program as a strong program in a smaller town, where I would be forced to practice my (rusty and limited) Italian and I could get a good feel for daily life. I've never been a big fan of the anonymity of big cities, and so Rome didn't really appeal to me as a place to live. The AHA Macerata website sold me, something about "winding, cobblestone streets." I had to first apply through DePauw to get accepted to apply to a program, but I knew as soon as I was accepted that I would be applying to AHA Macerata.
It's a little bit harder to verbalize what I want to get out of the experience. Everything sounds corny, and it's been said before by every other person who has studied or traveled abroad. So, if it's got to be corny, then I'll just use someone else's words. Side note - I love quotes. I did not just look these up in an effort to make my blog entry more academic, I already had them saved on my computer. So, then, here goes: "Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of the living" (Miriam Beard). It's not that I don't have a list of places and things I want to see (I do), but I don't want to be a tourist who simply takes photos and then peaces in an effort to fit the "Top Ten Spots to See in Rome!!" in a week. I don't need to go "find myself," but I do want to continue to develop my character and intellect, try lots of new things, be exposed to, and immersed in, another culture and way of life, and it's empowering to think that I'm doing it on my own (relatively). And after all, "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing" (Helen Keller). I'd rather like for it to be a daring adventure. No pressure, Italy.
with love,
morgan.
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