After seven weeks of living in Italy, there have been many challenges living in another country we has student have had to adapt to. I think the first challenge I’ve been facing is managing my typical school routine while also being abroad. Living in Italy offers so many opportunities to travel, experience other cultures, and try new things. However, with the excitement of being in a new country with these opportunities, it’s easy to lose track of school work and the time needed to dedicate towards school work. In Pittsburgh, it’s far easier to maintain routines and put all my focus towards school, but study abroad requires far more focus and adjusting to maintain academics.

I think other aspects that have been odd consist of cultural differences, such as hanging clothes to dry, going to the grocery store every single day, walking thirty minutes to get to the city, and living with so many people. It is definitely taking time to adjust to a completely different way of life and completely different routines. However, after so many weeks, it’s been easier to incorporate these aspects into my schedule.

Other challenges I’m facing is definitely homesickness. Spending this much time away from all of my friends, and the life I loved so much at Pitt is definitely difficult. I’ve been making more of an effort to remember I’ll never be in this situation again, and to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible!