If you follow me on social media, you know that I have returned from a five week study abroad program in Rome, Italy where I took classes in Italian Language and Italian Art. I lived in an apartment in the suburbs of Rome called Pratti. I ate like an Italian, drank coffee like an Italian, traveled like an Italian, and really tried to truly live like an Italian for five weeks.Fortunately, my education existed far outside of the classroom, and I feel like I was truly able to grow as an individual in Italy.
peace- "meno male"
There was a beautiful way about how Italians lived: at peace. No one was ever in a rush, everything that happened, happened for a reason, and everyone loved everyone. The way they are stereotyped to be could not be further from how they acted when I had the blessing to interact with them. They have a saying "meno male" which literally translates to "less bad". They believe that a situation could always be worse than it is, and that one should strive to be optimistic in all situations.I struggle with being INCREDIBLY pessimistic. I lived with the mentality that if I look for the worst case scenario, I will always be prepared. I'm not going to lie, this outlook did make me more prepared for the worst and I could react quicker. It is just exhausting to be continuously looking for problems and challenges. It was so eye-opening to watch an entire culture be constantly optimistic while being positive and encouraging in every situation.
rest
Italians begin their day late and finish it early. I learned a lot about the importance of giving yourself time to breathe and recuperate. Don't get me wrong, Italians know how to live it up. They also know how to relax and take care of themselves first.
fellowship
one of the biggest things I missed was fellowship. The love and support of the church. Meeting together once a week to sing and pray together. I hadn't realized how much of an impact this made on my daily walk.
Just a few things that I had time to reflect on while in Italy. If you would be interested in a blog series on what I did in Italy, with pictures and all the details, let me know on social media or by dropping a comment down below! I'd be happy to do a series if people are interested!
ti auguro la felicità .