“I feel 24 hours.”
My roommate said this is to me on our walk home yesterday; we had just run some steps near the Tiber River and were headed home. I asked her what she meant. She eloquently explained to me that her days were long here, but not with the negative connotation us overwork and overtired Americans usually associate with a long day.
She said enjoyed every section, every hour, and even when her days were broken up at home, she hadn’t felt this. I agreed. Something about being here, despite the long walks to school, the confusing bus schedule, or living without a dishwasher and dryer, was different.
It’s not that we can go out whenever (or wherever) we want, or that we’re gone every weekend because well, we’re not. It is the hundreds of people that you see enjoying themselves at midnight on a Wednesday at a restaurant. They get up and go to work or school the next day, sure, but only so that they can enjoy another late night with their friends. The culture here is more than pasta, pizza, and wine. Its social. They work to live, not live to work.
In America, I often forwent a night out for a night that I could work. Or I opted for a few more hours at the library than Chipotle with my friends. I have always been a social creature, but when it comes to balancing my social life with work and academics, I’ll usually choose the books. Could I socialize at the Italian level? Probably not without having the left side of my brain removed.
It would drive my American, work- obsessed self, crazy. Although my long list of future ambitions changes everyday, I have the internal drive that I must do something. Be someone. Find fulfillment. Uncover my passion and put it to work. Be recognized.
I originally started this journey in order to find myself, but what if I come home just as confused as when I left? The reality is, I probably will. But I feel right being here. Is that enough, or do I have to accomplish my end goal?
The kids at AUR are weird and adventurous. I fit right in. No one cares what you’re wearing, even with their Valentino bags slung on their arm. While these students have majors, are involved, and have dreams, they are not defined by them. Can I fit in, in a culture where I am not defined by my activities, my job, or my status? Is it possible?
HC love from across the Atlantic,
Taylor