CRIS GOES ABROAD

I was born and raised in Italy by Italians. I guess I am legally Italian - but my head is always elsewhere.

I prefer to speak English rather than my own language. I do like to sleep but I also like to get things done which means I do not sleep after lunch like Italians do. I like pasta but my favorite dish is not Spaghetti Alla Bolognese. I love going to the beach but I would never live in a city like the one I go to every summer. I normally have a cappuccino and a croissant for breakfast but if I could choose something else, I'd probably go for pancakes. All I'm saying is that I don't want to be a living stereotype of what people think Italians are. I may or may not be loud, late or using my hands a lot - just like any other human being.

I am not trying to say that I dislike my home country, I love Italy, it is a beautiful place. I just find it "reducing" sometimes to say that I am Italian. I am not only that, in fact, I am Cris. I watch movies in their original language, I love Mexican food and I could not care less about soccer. I like to believe that I am a bit of everything. Even though I love Italy I do not like to speak about it as if it was the greatest country in the whole world, I believe there is something we can learn in every country. In fact, one of the best moments I've experienced when I was abroad was being asked: "Which state are you from?" by a lady who thought that I was American. I felt happy, not necessarily because I want people to think that I am American or I want to be, but because I was able to surprise this lady by telling her that I am actually Italian.

People tend to defend their own countries and claim that theirs is the best in the world but as far as I am concerned I would much rather travel all around before comparing places. I don't like when people talk about things they don't know.

I will probably settle down eventually, I will not be a nomad forever, but at the moment I like to travel around, even if that means that I have to start from zero every time I leave a place to go to the next. This is how I think life has to be lived. Time is precious and we do not know what tomorrow holds. We can not postpone things that we can do today. How do my favourite travel bloggers, Damon and Jo, say? Shut up and go!

- Cris

Happy new year everybody! One of my resolutions is to just make every day interesting, and I guess I managed to do that very well this first week of 2019. But let's start from the top.

I spent New Year's Eve at my family's place in Milan. At some point in the evening, a Korean girl came in and asked for some food to take away along with some wine. She was traveling solo and said that she was going to her hotel so my family invited her to stay. She experienced Italian music and tried a lot of food. I can say that it was a really nice beginning for 2019, given the fact that I love meeting people from different countries and that we actually saved her from sleeping through the countdown. But that's not all.

I spent a couple of days with an old friend of mine from exchange, which has been truly great. I can't deny that it was interesting to see each other after almost four years. A lot of things changed, we grew, but we did have fun. Then, on the 4th of January, I went to Porto, (stay tuned for a post about Portugal). It is a beautiful city and the weather was really amazing and warm for being winter. The sky was cloudless and I was visiting a new city.


What could possibly go wrong? Well, let me tell ya. I got an infection in my throat which led to high fever, but my foot was also hurting quite a bit, in fact, I couldn't walk decently. I went to a pharmacy to see what my chances were and I was told to call the national health hotline to receive assistance, which I did. They suggested going to the emergency room, and later that evening, I was given a yellow-band. I was kind of worried because I never really went to a hospital to get cured before, I normally just see my doctor. I approximately waited an hour and a half when I was told that I could have had to wait for seven more, so I just left. I had to catch a bus the next morning headed to a smaller place in Portugal called Covilha, where I knew I could have been treated quicker. As soon as I arrived there I went to the Hospital. I had over 38° of fever so I "earned" myself a new yellow-band, and, after a couple of hours, I was called in by the doctor. The nurse injected some paracetamol in my veins (I never experienced it before and shit, it hurt!). I did an x-ray to check my foot and then I was given prescriptions for my medicines. Last but not least, I spent over 60 euros just on medicines, excluding all the uber rides... 

I can say that this was definitely one of the most expensive trips this year but I am so glad I went to the hospital and got checked because I can finally swallow again and walk decently. I was also super grateful that I wasn't traveling alone because if I were, the language would have been a problem. Some doctors did speak English but some others did not. Anyway, the staff from both the hostel in Porto and the hospital in Covilha were extremely nice and to me so I felt very well taken care of.

Of all the stories I have told in the past, this is new. I am grateful for everything that I am experiencing, in fact, I am trying to see the positive side of things. On my next travels, I will be more careful and research more about the health care in the country I am about to visit. I guess I never really worried too much about health insurance in Europe because I'm European, but I think that from now on I will definitely hold a thought for that.

And you? Have you ever felt so sick abroad to the point where you had to go to the hospital? How did you overcome the problem? Were you on your own?

- Cris

Believe me when I tell you that nothing compares to what you feel when you have to leave your host country. Leaving is harder than arriving, a hundred times harder. No, actually, arriving for me was not hard at all! I've always dreamt of living in the United States of America and when the time came I just went with it! But, oh boy, was it hard to leave? Very. Was I excited to go back home to see family and friends? Yes, indeed. But leaving everything I have built in only one year was extremely hard. I was proud of all my achievements and when I was finally able to do everything stress-free, I had to leave and say goodbye. No more driving everywhere, no more drive-thrus, no more dinner out on the patio, no more Colorado sunsets... just, no more.

"You will come back and visit, don't be sad!" 

I will always be able to go back and visit, but it will never ever be the same experience as actually living there. I will not be a student anymore, my friends may not be there anymore, the students in my high school will be different and all of a sudden I would feel like an outsider in a place with which I used to feel well connected.

Of course I will go back, I would love to be there right at this moment, but each time will always be a bit different. My last few hours as an exchange student I packed my things, I looked around my empty room and I started processing my way out of the country. I kept thinking"I will be okay" as I was laying down. It felt like if all my memories were projected on the ceiling and I was there watching like a spectator watches a stage play. "Cris, we are home. We will soon take you to the airport." Right at that minute, I had to roll my things upstairs, look back at the basement as I knew I was not going to return, and leave.

All I felt like doing in the car was crying, but I held it in. I was looking out the window, trying to think of something but the fact that I was leaving. My American family was talking about things that didn't involve me so I kind of tried to listen to the conversation so I wouldn't cry.

As I arrived at the airport, I felt calmer. I was thinking straight. I knew Colorado was somehow my new home and that I was going to make my return there sooner or later, so I just focused on the fact that I was going to back to Italy to see everyone I had to say goodbye to the year before!

In fact... I've made it back.

Believe it or not, I did go back to Colorado. Twice, in fact. I spent two weeks there and celebrated Easter 2017, and then I went back there from January to June 2018 and did a three months internship in Denver. I had to get my first driving license ever in only one week, I was living in a different home, I was more independent, I wasn't a student anymore but rather an intern. Everything was great and I felt like if that was the best upgrade for my former exchange experience. 

Applying for a visa wasn't easy, finding the right internship wasn't easy, many things could have gone wrong... but they didn't. I had a lot of support from the right people that guided me so that I could follow the right path and I am now proud of how far I've come. If I was able to, so could you! The end of your exchange isn't the end of everything. You have the power to start something bigger and continue your journey, so what are you waiting for? There are loads of programs out there. If you need any help don't hesitate to click on follow on the right inside and leave a comment!

Read also: How to Take Over the Globe!

- Cris

Having to leave everything that is familiar to you can be terrifying, especially when you are doing so to go live at a stranger's house. I get it, we've all been through it. I had the privilege to meet my host family prior to my exchange as they were traveling to Europe for the summer, so that was my luck. I know that not a lot of students can say the same, but it is always worth it to go abroad with an open mind and positive thoughts anyway. Our happy thinking sometimes isn't enough and we do end up feeling like we don't belong, homesick or lonely. Fear no more, I have the perfect TV series to keep you company.

The Fosters.

When I didn't feel particularly up to do much during my exchange, I'd watch a lot of tv series. That isn't because I wasn't enjoying my experience, but that's just who I am. I am attracted to the film industry and tv in general. One of the shows that particularly kept me company while I was gone on my exchange was The Fosters. As the title may spoil, the series talk about foster care, and beyond. The main characters fight unhealthy social systems, spreading the message that everyone is loved and welcome to be whoever they are. Two lesbians open their doors to many foster kids who over the years, as the story evolves, get officially adopted by these two incredible women. 

The story covers heavy topics, like cancer, lgbtq+ stories, gun violence, stalkers, broken hearts, mental health, and insecurities of all sorts. Unfortunately, we can relate, to some extent, to a lot of these things, but the bottom line is that we can go through everything if we stick together and help each other out. This incredible family kept me company over the years. I've watched the show when I was in the United States of America as an exchange student, but also when I was home in Italy, studying in Denmark or in the United Kingdom. I've felt lonely sometimes, I didn't have much money to go out and do things, so I'd stay home and binge-watch. Some people can't do that, but I discovered that I can and I'm not afraid to say that this series gifted me many smiles when I needed them.

How does this show relates to people being on an exchange you say? Well, I think about my host parents. They opened up their home to me and many more exchange students over the years. Doing that enables many things. When they welcomed me to their house, shared their belonging and food with me, we established a relationship that is now unbreakable. It is obviously very different from fostering someone who has been through the system, but these experiences have something in common: trust. It's hard to believe that people are willing to share what they have (e.g. a home) with someone they don't already trust - but that is why we have time. We spend time with each other and we learn things about one another. 

I really learned a lot watching The Fosters and I hope that I somehow influenced you because it's worth a watch. It's currently not on Netflix. Its network is the former ABC Family, now Freeform, but I'm sure that if you are like me you will find a way to watch it even if you are not from the USA and don't have access to Freeform. 

What is your favorite tv series? and why? Comment below!

- Cris

For the past few years, I've been packing, unpacking, moving out, moving back in, taking off, landing, getting a new job, enrolling in new universities, shaking new hands, engaging with strangers, going to socials, events, and such things. Great! In fact, this is why I've done it and I keep doing it. 

But... would travel exist without home?

No. Our birthplace is our starting point. That is the one thing that we can't change about ourselves. Think about it. We can change homes, countries, even our own name, but not the place where we are born. That is something that we will always carry with us. When we travel, we embrace new cultures and welcome new habits into our lives, but we always tend to share our own with foreigners. We may not even be the patriotic kinds but as soon as people open their mouths to say something bad about our country, we suddenly step in and defend it as if they were talking poorly about us. Isn't it true? We take it personally. We think we are the only ones allowed to talk in a certain way about our birthplace.

As I moved from one place to the other, I looked for peace. I looked for my happy place. And from time to time, I even thought I finally found it. The truth is that most times that feeling would be temporary and my mind would still take me back to Milan. I'd miss doing the same boring things I've done since I was a kid. Who would have actually thought? Feelings, though, always change.

 I want to decide for myself whether my assigned place is actually the right one for me or not, and in order to do so, I travel. I explore. I feel things. 

We do have the power to change things. Play the game. You may have been born and raised somewhere, but where do you want to grow up? Where do you want to mature? Where do you want to say your last words? I strongly believe that we are the authors of our own destiny, we just need to know how to write.

- Cris