A City of Wonder...

I wanted to give myself a little time to fall back into place with my home life before reflecting on my time abroad. This meant readjusting to the time zone on the east coast. I figured it would take me a week or two for my experience abroad to really hit me, for the genuine reactions to free flow as I tried to reflect, but I didn’t need that much time to understand my time abroad. Above all, I realize I’m very humbled to have had the experiences that I had. As I talk about my experience to the people I returned home to, I almost can’t believe I’ve seen the things I’ve seen and had the chance to learn about Italy and Turkey while in Italy and Turkey. For me, it’s very humbling to reflect. I almost can’t believe I’ve had this experience happen to me, but that’s because it’s exactly what I wanted…I had always hoped I would study abroad and for it to happen now and at this point in my life, I can’t help but be humbled, extremely happy and, quite frankly, a little jet lagged.

Being abroad made me realize I have so much more to discover about the world. I find that each city tells a story, and I still have so many cities I’ve yet to see with so many stories that haven’t been told. I want to embrace this, I want to learn about the places I’ve only heard about and hear their true story and make something of it for myself. I’ve come to realize one of the beauties of traveling and seeing new places is that there are things you’ll discover along the way that are unique to you. Things that will speak directly to you in such a way that the impression they’ll leave will always remind you of where you’ve been. The things you’ll encounter don’t have to be big and grand in their make, nor do they have to sparkle, they just have to click with you in a way that makes your heart feel like you’re in the right place. For me, there was something so neat in the simple act of ordering a cappuccino in Italy and enjoying every sip of it. I marveled at the place I was in and the part of the world I was visiting. For me, a cappuccino anywhere else in the world will always remind me of the ones I had in Italy. Sure, this could have to do with my love for a good cup of coffee anywhere in the world, but in Italy, a cappuccino was so much more for me. It was a simple joy that made me so happy I didn’t have to rush on to the next part of my day, but instead could fully enjoy it sip by sip. When I was in Turkey, my eyes were drawn to the

A beautiful pattern in Istanbul

many patterns on textiles, ceilings, walls and the like. Each pattern was more beautiful than the next. When I went through my pictures from the program, I realized I had taken many photos of different patterns. At the time, I had just been taking pictures of everything around me trying to take in the sights with my camera and just for myself. I didn’t realize I had focused so much on patterns, but I guess there was something about them that fascinated me, something that made me want to search for these patterns to bring them back home with me. There was something about these beautiful patterns of Istanbul that were unlike any other that I’ve seen, and I know that I’ll look at patterns and prints with a different kind of eye upon returning from Turkey.

The experiences that I had abroad, both small and large, both planned and unplanned, can sum up a new kind of narrative that I can tell about the places I’ve seen. Italy is no longer a land of just pizza pies and the phrase “that’s amore” and Turkey isn’t a stop on “the Orient Express”. Instead, the experiences I’ve had will work to tell stories of these places that will differ from those of my classmates or even the other tourists who were waiting in the same line as me. I think that’s the beauty of being abroad, my story and the stories of these cities could very well be my favorite thing about my study abroad experience.

View of Piazza San Marco from Caffe Quadri

Of course, I had the opportunity to experience many amazing sights. One night in Venice, I insisted on taking a trip to St. Mark’s Square. I knew our time in Venice was drawing to a close and on our last night, what better place to be but Piazza San Marco. When you first arrive in Piazza San Marco, you almost become overwhelmed with the beauty of this area at night. You hear the sound of orchestra bands playing songs that you recognize and you see a softer side to the city of Venice. Before I even arrived in Venice, I knew I would be making a visit to Piazza San Marco at night.

The band at Caffe Quadri

For my film independent study, I watched several movies that take place in Venice and in some of them, the characters visit St. Mark’s Square at night. For Katharine Hepburn in Summertime, her visit to Piazza San Marco is so inviting she returns again another night. In the film, her character falls in love with an Italian man and you can see the way she views Venice as a city of romance. While in Piazza San Marco at Caffe Quadri, I seemed to view Venice more as a city of wonder. Even after being in this city for five days, I was still in wonder over the beautiful sights on a gondola on a canal, the small bridges that take you from one side to the other, and the little flower boxes that hang from so many homes. As I sipped my espresso and listened to the sounds of the band play, I became overwhelmed with happiness to be in this city that some people only dream of seeing. How could you not feel humbled to be in the presence of St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace? These were even the stomping grounds of Casanova, and it’s here I found myself. I began to self-reflect, as I could hear another caffe’s band play “New York, New York”, in Venice, at this point, I’m so happy to have been where I’ve been because it’s led me to this place. Piazza San Marco is just a little thing that helps me put into perspective this bigger thing; my experience abroad and how grateful I am to have had this opportunity. As I try to settle in to home life again, I’m still in wonder as I think about the experiences I’ve had and the stories that I’ve been given to share with so many.

About these ads