At 21 years old I have entered what is known as the “defining decade”. The time where you discover what your passions are, move to a new city, graduate college, and get married. As a rising senior I’m entering a year of uncertainty and change, a time where I don’t have an answer for everything. It’s times like these when most people are faced with the decision to either sink or swim. I don’t always know what choice I’m going to make until I’ve reached the end but there is one thing I do know; choosing to spend my summer with 22 complete strangers is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Coming into this summer I really had no idea what to expect. As an introvert, how would I thrive in an environment with so many other people? Would I experience culture shock? Would I make friends? I won’t tell you that everything just works out perfectly, because that’s not the truth. It takes hard work and action. You have to decide that you’re going to do what it takes to thrive in the environment you’re in if you want to experience real growth in your life. During these past few weeks I’ve learned a lot about myself. Mainly, I’ve learned that the idea of who I think I am is ever changing. Who I thought I was before this program is a different person than who I am now, and I’m sure that will change again by the time August rolls around.

This program has taught me how to step out of my comfort zone in ways that I never would have done on my own. It’s been like jumping off a cliff but landing in calm waters. In all of my times of anxiety and stress during this experience I’ve been surrounded by 22 people who are there to support me. I might not have a clue what’s going to happen after I graduate but I’m finding peace in the fact that this program will play a huge part in my “defining decade”.

All the love,

Mg Ryan

by: Letta Young

Looking up at the Trevi Fountain in amazement at the detail, beauty, and craftsman shift

of the monument. Wondering how was that possible back then and why can’t we make

anything like this now of days? My wondering was shortly answered, “because it took a lot of

time to build”.

Simple “there is beauty in the waiting” the simple quote has spoken a mounds amount

of life into over the past two short weeks of being in ariccia.

I’ve only been in Italy for less than a week now and have already realized an aspect of

life that in America I would’ve never learned. It’s simple the beauty in the wait, waiting, being

patient, enjoying the moment, and not rushing to the next step because there is something

right Infront of me that I have waited a lifetime for but am missing. I discovered I am a runner, I

don’t walk through life I sprint through it; to get to the next moment, to see the next thing, and

to experience the new. But I have quickly come to realize that I need to slow down, enjoy the

wait, and be patient because the most beautiful things take time.

In more ways than one I have already run into some insentience the tervi fountain, it

took over 30 years to complete and now it stands beautifully. My four-hour flight delay to

Rome, sure I didn’t like waiting at the moment but I created great friendships and unforgettable

moments in the atl terminal. Then looking before that the wait was to be here, right now with

JSB and now I am already creating beautiful relationships right off the bat. I’ve even started

seeing it in my wait for dinner to be served. I get so hangry and don’t want to talk anymore, but

I have gained and had some great memories already at the dinner table.

From waiting for dinner to the grandness of the trevi fountain that all took time to

become beautiful. I have learned that waiting doesn’t have to be miserable, that it can be

hopeful of what is to come, and also a moment for me can a new relationship or memories. I

never thought being here for only two weeks would teach me such a lesson in my personal life

that will now change the way I live forever.

Everyone has things they are afraid of.

I am definitely not excluded from this. I have always been afraid or nervous about change, whether it was in my daily routine, my environment, or the people I was with. Going into college, I knew I wanted to challenge these fears that have been holding me back for so long. I knew that breaking this habit would be hard and signing up for the Joseph S. Bruno Trip to Italy would be one of the things to get me past this roadblock in personal growth. It turns out, I was definitely right.

Before I arrived in Italy, I was definitely feeling the negative emotions of change. I was scared, and that is completely normal. It is okay to be scared. It is okay to feel nervous. It is okay to not know what to expect. Doing something out of your comfort zone is challenging and in no way should that make you doubtful of your abilities to face your fears or take that big step. With this, I learned to not be so hard on myself for feeling these things because 20 other girls were feeling the same way as me.

My experience in Italy has helped me learn to take everything one step at a time. Even though not every day is going to be perfect, my time in Italy so far has been a dream. Even though I have only been here a little over a week, I have fallen in love with every inch of Italy. The food, the culture, the atmosphere, the nature, the history have all shown me that there is more to life than what I am accustomed to and that change is a good thing rather than a bad thing.

With love,

Alex