Uncategorized – Page 20

Staring out at the rain-pattered window, I sat anxiously on a crowded bus, headed for Moscow. My train for Saratov was set to leave in an hour, whether I was on it or not. We had been driving for nearly four hours, when our bus grinded to a halt, nowhere near tour destination. I had only 40 minutes left to navigate the enormous and inevitably congested train station, in hopes of making my train by 12:01. While pondering how on earth this would be possible, the bus driver announced that this would be as far as he was going, due to the traffic; we would have to walk the rest of the way. Great! I not only have no idea where I am going, but its pouring rain and I have to lug all of my stuff there in about 20 minutes. And that’s what I did. I jumped off the bus, grabbed my bags and started running. The bus driver pointed me in the right direction and off I went, asking every person I happened to run into “where is the train station?” And you know what, I made it. I stepped onto the train and seconds later, I was on my way to family and friends.

It was that bus ride and subsequent train ride that made me realize so much about myself. As I sat listening to music and soft trickle of the rain, I understood that my parents did the very best job they could in raising me. I understood that though they have made choices that I don’t agree with, it’s not a reflection on me; I can let it go, forgive and be free. I understood that I was alone, travelling in Russia and never once doubted myself, never once thought that I couldn’t do it and never once looked back. I understood that in those few hours, I became a woman, a better human being and truly began to live a life of my choosing. I understood that the only one who stood in my way was me, and when I removed my self-imposed limitations, the opportunities were endless.

For me, Russia was an escape from the chaos, but through its bureaucratic serenity, I found what I was looking for. I was set free, reinvigorated and ready to return to my mom, my dad, my brother, and my amazing life. Russia reminded me just how precious life is and that you can’t let it slip away from you. This lesson is one that I will never forget.

Kelsey Guyette, OIE Peer Advisor

I knew I wanted to study and live abroad in Italy since the first time I traveled there during high school. I chose a full year program, hoping to improve my language skills and really experience the culture outside of the American study abroad bubble. The best choice I made throughout this entire process was the decision to stay with a host family for the entirety of my trip. I was extremely excited up until the point I actually arrived on my host’s doorstep, lugging four suitcases behind me and trying to stay awake through my hideous jet lag. Prior to my departure I was told that I would be living with a single woman in a tiny apartment who may or may not have one or two cats…and that was the extent of what I knew. I stood on the doorstep for a few more moments, repeating over and over again in my head what I would say in Italian as soon as she opened the door.

The entire experience turned out to be much stranger and better then I could have imagined. It was just me and my host mom, and we did live in a tiny, vintage roman apartment with a fountain in the courtyard, and the one or two cats turned into a sweet canine named Tatto who arrived every weekend to stay with us along with my host mother’s boyfriend. Coming home every night to a warm meal and someone to listen to all my daily triumphs and struggles was incredibly helpful in dealing with homesickness and the stress that sometimes came with trying to interact daily in a language I wasn’t fluent in. She would even speak to me in her broken English sometimes, incoherently, to try and make me feel better on especially rough days. I was able to spend the holidays with her family, learn invaluable secrets to cooking authentic roman food, and gain insight from her stories on life, love, and everything in between.

Of course there were a few awkward moments in the beginning, stemming from trying to act natural and normal while learning to live in a complete stranger’s house. I’ll never forget the time her boyfriend accidentally walked in on me in the bathroom, or when I completely melted a spatula on the stove and I had to tell her what happened. Sometimes even the little things were exemplified into embarrassment, but the feeling slowly drifted as we both learned how to live with each other. My host family experience was the best aspect of my entire year abroad, and I will always remember it fondly.

Jillian Neilson, OIE Peer Advisor

Category: Uncategorized

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