Leaving Italy Behind

Things I've missed most while abroad

• American parties and dancing (Italians love to talk, pretty much whenever and wherever they find an opportunity, including at parties despite the presence of a DJ or a band which just requires they talk with more volume and greater expressiveness.)
• Root beer
• Big warm drinks in the winter time (Think a cup of TeaLuxe to go?)
• Hugs (I hate this fluffy European cheek-rubbing deal. But at least I know that English people hug each other, so at least there is some culture on this side of the Atlantic that appreciates the feeling of arms around one’s shoulders and chests pressed tightly, if briefly, together in a show of friendly affection.)
• Chunky peanut butter (Thank goodness I managed to transport some from the US to help me survive my time abroad.)
• American optimism, hope, and focus on the future (There is a certain attitude, an energy, a work ethic, and a spirit that seems to be quite lacking in Italy.)
• A male population that generally permits me to wear heels and still be shorter than my date (Who knew Italians were so short?)
• Blue eyes (At least wherever I choose to study, be it Paris or Lausanne, I will find them much more readily when walking down a sidewalk or into a crowded room.)
• Cafes with comfy furniture where purchasing a pair of drinks is all it takes for you and a friend to command a set of armchairs for several hours' conversation (For the evil empire it may be, Starbucks does have some things going for it.)

Things I’m missing now

• My wonderful, crazy friends. I may have met them horribly late in my time in Europe, but I will never forget them. And I will most certainly see at least some of them again
• Italian coffee, especially, believe it or not, caffè al ginseng
• Cobblestone streets (They are adorable, though I won’t miss them when I want to wear heels.)
• Castles, cathedrals, and old architecture
• The good old Leaning Tower
• Sleeping enough, or at least way more than I will when back at MIT
• Easy travel between cities
• Those incredibly awkward and amusing lost-in-translation moments
• Living in a different culture
• Getting to hear English accents on a daily basis (Am I allowed to say that was a guilty pleasure?)
• Being mistaken quite regularly for a French woman

Things I’m not sad to have left behind

• Italian secretaries
• The phrase, “Piano, piano” which gets you nowhere in life and is the excuse for copious amounts of laziness and procrastination. It may sum up Italy all too well.
• Italian men
• Italian “efficiency”