I have now been in Europe for over half a semester. I have six short weeks left. Of course while being here many different things have been a surprise to me. If I had to choose the most surprising factors of it all, it would have to be my resilience and confidence since being here.
I have been very lucky that almost all store workers, waiters, teachers, and students in Florence speak English. Though, I have been picking up Italian, I am definitely not fluent. Being able to speak my first language day-to-day has helped me feel a lot more confident and not something I was expecting. I can independently go to a store or out to eat without worrying if I am going to get confused and not understand another person. Even when traveling to countries other than Italy, you can still find people who speak english all around.
Back at home I have a car and I am able to drive myself wherever and whenever I want. Now, while I do walk frequently to close by places, to get far I have to take public transportation. It was surprisingly easier than I expected to take a tram, train, bus, or plane to get to different destinations in Europe. Public transportation is cheaper than a taxi and it is very easy to buy tickets ahead of time online. Even when I am not in Florence I have been able to figure out with my friends how to take subways and buses in other cities like Prague, Munich, Nice, and more! We are very lucky to be traveling in the digital time, all you have to do is search on maps which stops to take for the subway and trams!
One of my favorite quotes is by Kyoko Escamilla and it says, “Your 20’s are your ‘selfish’ years. It’s a decade to immerse yourself in every single thing possible. Be selfish with your time, and all aspects of you. Tinker with sh*t, travel, explore, love a lot, love a little, and never touch the ground.” Lastly, it has been surprisingly easy to fulfill what this quote has suggested me to do with my life. I can honestly say I have never experienced the fulfillment that I feel while being abroad. I hope these next six weeks go by slow, I am just not ready to go home yet!
Mabel In Italy 
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