La Cambia, it means "The Change" in Italian, and it is the only way I can think of to describe what I will be putting myself through for the next 365 + days, the biggest change of my life, so far at least. The uprooting of myself from the comfortable and familiar college life in Boston, MA to the new and very different life of an Italian student at Universita` Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, in Piacenza, Italia. Here, I will be taking a semester of classes as a student in Italian, living on my own (kinda) and then working for 4-6 months on an Italian co-op. And the only thought in my head right now is "What did I just get myself into? I am not ready for this."
Italian, thats the first big change. I am not a native Italian speaker, or even fluent at this point, and yet I have decided its a great idea to take my classes in this language. Now don't get me wrong, I have been studying for years and can even read a children's book, but changing the way I communicate is going to be rough. I am going to have to stop and think before I speak, and really put myself out there to be wrong.....a lot. This wall that I have created which makes me incapable of communicating will have to come down almost the moment I touch down in Italy. I think the best part, which I haven't even begun to fathom is the fact I will have to learn business concepts from a text book with words I have never seen before, I'm sure I'll touch at a later date.
Uncertainty, thats the next change. I am pretty much used to a scheduled and predictable life here in the States, and that is definitely going to change. For starters, I am uncertain about where I will be living. I will not be on campus, and thats about the only thing I am sure of. I will have to try and find an apt in about 3 days, dealing with Italian beuracracy as well as real estate agents and contracts. I am uncertain about what class is going to be like, in Boston I could have told you how each and every business class is almost the same, Profs love the group projects, participation, and slide shows. Can I expect that for sure at Cattolica? Nope. I am uncertain about how to dress myself once I arrive. Will I be judged for my flip flops, or flannel? I could have told you in Boston, you would have not gotten judged too much for showing up in pj's. I am uncertain about the transportation, are the buses reliable (not when you're running on American time in Italy) will a bike be practical? There are so many things I have no idea about, and that is what partially scares me.
I can say, on a lighter note, that I will have one the most amazing experiences in my life, thats a no brainer. I am not alone, there are 8 other people going through this with me, creating a support system which I feel is essential to my sanity and I will definitely need. I am excited, nervous, scared, not completely ready, and every emotion in between.
There is no turning back now, the countdown has begun, and while everyone else around me is getting excited, the reality has set in...... in 19 days I will change my life, for the good bad or neutral is what I am going to find out.
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