I have a confession to make. At first, I was very wary about this project. I didn’t think I would be able to come up with any “rich moments” worth writing about.  Oh how wrong I was.

Italy, Urbino, even my home in Southern California has provided exceptional opportunities for moments worth remembering. Once I was asked to make note of these mini episodes that make up the story of my life, I realized that they were everywhere.  As it turns out, “realization” is the pattern I found throughout my blogs. In each one, I seemed to have an epiphany in which I came to a greater understanding of myself and the world around me.
Whether in a situation in which I was forced to step outside of my comfort zone or simply try to make sense of an unfamiliar world, I not only learned more about a new country and its culture, but was able to learn more about myself.

In many ways, this experience has helped reshape my identity. Chao et al writes that, “the process of reconstructing identity is an emotional, challenging and often rewarding struggle” (190). This is certainly true and already I know that I’ll be returning home a much stronger person. Getting locked in the shower may have been a traumatizing experience, but it proved that I am able to get myself out of an uncomfortable situation.  This was also the case in my “Alone in Roma” story. Instead of giving in to a potentially negative circumstance, I was able to turn it around and ended up thoroughly enjoying my night in the city.

Dealing with the cultural and communication differences in Italy also turned into moments that aided in my growth and understanding of a foreign region. According to González, “Intercultural contact provides us all with opportunities to get to know how other view the world, how they experience day-to-day realities and differences in personal cultural identites” (485). She adds, “Often, contact with a different culture opens us up to see possibilities for our own existence,” (486).  When learning the Italian words to a classic American children’s song, walking away from an almost perfect pair of shoes because of an honest salesperson, or observing the universal practice of spending a day at the beach, I was helping further my understanding of the world.

I have always thought of myself as accepting of other cultures, religions, languages or anything else that is different from my own experience, but this whole experience has taught me the value of patience. Communication did not always prove to be easy, but most of the time - and with the help of whomever I was trying to communicate with, of course - I was able to work things out.

I am especially thankful that I was able to spend an extended period of time in Italy since I don’t think I would have had these revelations were I to have spent only a few days here. I cannot wait to share this experience with my friends and family back home, both through photographs and stories, and to teach them what I’ve learned. In my own way, I will hopefully be able to make the world a little bigger for the people around me and help shape their understanding of another culture. It will be my own special way of paying it forward.

Chao, I-Li, Luna, L., Nagano, M., Solidon, B., & Geist, P. (1999).  Voicing identities somewhere in the midst of two worlds. In L. Samovar & R. E. Porter (Eds.), Intercultural communication: A reader (9th ed.) (pp. 189-205).  Belmont, CA:  Wadsworth.

González, M. C. (1998). Painting the white face red: Intercultural contact presented through poetic ethnography. In. J. Martin, T. Nakayama, & L. Flores (Eds.), Readings in cultural contexts (pp. 485-495). Mountain View, CA: Mayfield.