As I reached the halfway point of my time here in Italy, I feel like I have lived an entire life in the past six weeks. Being in this environment has thrown such a rollercoaster of emotions my way that I was forced to take a step back and evaluate my life. I feel I have learned some invaluable lessons about myself and I wish I could share this journey with everyone. Through the lowest lows and the highest highs, I have grown so much through this journey, and I am elated to carry these lessons I have learned with me moving forward. 

I have never considered myself to be a homebody, so leading up to this trip I was nothing but excited. I crave adventure and excitement and I knew living in a foreign country with nine strangers would provide the perfect outlet. For the first couple of weeks, this trip appeared to be exactly that; a big, fun adventure away from the status quo. What I wasn’t expecting was the hard times that inevitably reared their ugly head. When forced to deal with sickness, sadness, or even exhaustion, the big adventure wasn’t so fun anymore. I have since come to appreciate the difficult points in this journey because they resulted in more personal growth than I would have thought possible. I have really been given the opportunity to take a step back and evaluate the true values I hold in life. 

The amazing people I have grown to love in my time here have also been an incredibly crucial pillar to my experience. In my lowest state I found support in people who had only known me for a couple of weeks, and I could not have gotten through what I was able to without them. It’s not only okay to rely on the people around you, but I highly encourage sharing your burdens with others. You would be surprised how the most beautiful relationships blossom from the ugliest storms. 

When I have found myself looking backwards or forwards to when things were or are going to be more familiar, I remind myself that it is imperative to this experience that I live in the moment. Life is a constant series of ever-changing phases, and there is no productivity in dwelling on past or uncertain timelines. Your happiness lies in your present experiences, and even though everything has not been rainbows and butterflies, this moment in time is having an undeniably positive impact on my life. 

The biggest lesson I have taken from my time here so far is that I am proud of the person I was, I have so much love for the person I have become, and I am excited for the journey ahead of me. The growth I have personally felt throughout this journey has been so incredibly meaningful to me, and I know I have become a better person because of it. I am now able to appreciate the hardships, uncomfortability, and mistakes of life as they have all contributed to where I am today. I am loving this life, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store.

Thanks for listening,

Olivia Lutz