This post might end up being a little more reflective than usual because this past week was super exciting for me. I mentioned this in my last post but this week was my fall break and I ended up going on a couple of pretty exciting adventures. For one, I flew to Cadiz, Spain - the city I studied abroad in for a semester when I was a sophomore in high school. Even more exciting for me, however, was my second trip of the week involving a visit to Beirut, Lebanon, where my brother Cory has lived for a few years and also attends the American University of Beirut . Overall, the journey included eight flights, four train rides, a couple busses, and a lot of Ubers but was so refreshing and worthwhile. The coolest part about it was the opportunity to "go home" in really interesting ways - i.e. I went to my second home in Cadiz and remembered what it felt like to be 16 and I also got to see my brother and what he's called home for many years now.
All of that has me thinking a lot about what's most exciting about the opportunity to be abroad here in Florence - and being abroad in general. I've gotten to prove to myself that I'm capable of some pretty exciting things. There's the fact that I've moved to a country where I don't even speak the language and am studying things like the High Renaissance or Performance Art - essentially things I have very little experience with. There's also the fact that I decided to book a flight to the Middle East and was crazy enough to follow through with it! It's all so validating in understanding that following through with genuine goals is really possible.
As mentioned above, I also was really able to reflect on what this idea of 'home' is this past week, and feel really honored that one day I'll be able to return to Florence much like I returned to Cadiz and feel as comfortable somewhere that's so far from home. I really did feel so comfortable being in Cadiz, like I was 16 again, and I know that one day I'll be in Florence feeling the same about being 20 years old here. I think it's really important to acknowledge that that's part of what makes being abroad for a semester so valuable, it's not just the opportunity to visit a new city and not just the opportunity to experience a new culture but to live with it. Beirut was so beautiful and I loved visiting - especially with my brother who really does call it his home - but all it made me want to do is stay longer, live abroad, or learn as many languages as possible! I think watching my brother speak Arabic while he was there and realizing all it took was 2 classes and a lot of involvement with the community (he does a great deal of work with the refugees in Lebanon, including teaching English and providing aid and food to families there). Both of those things are not only things I aspire to do while in Florence but they're also things I'm capable of!
One final sidenote: the food I had this week was easily some of the best I've ever had, the people I reconnected with in Spain and Beirut were so wonderful to see. All of that is to say I'm so grateful that I was able to experience that and I'm grateful that I get to come back to somewhere like Florence at the end of this!