My mom and her family are immigrants, meaning people who are born in one country and then move to another one to live. This made me realize that I could also go to another country to live. I became very interested in the country of Italy because my mom lived in Italy for two years when she was my age! Italy is a long and skinny country in between Europe and the Mediterranean, and it is known for foods such as pasta, pizza and gelato! While I was very interested in all these yummy foods, I was also interested in the culture and language. People in different places have different cultures. "Culture" refers to a way of life that's important to a group of people, and itcan include ideas about the world, behaviors that a group of people do, and also customs, such as which foods are eaten and what holidays are celebrated.
Because I was so interested in people and new places, I decided to go study and live in Italy for one semester! I want to see if there are differences in the way that different peoples see and interact with the world because of where they live in it. Plus, one of my favorite things to do is explore new places, because it makes me feel alive and happy. Although sometimes it can be scary to try new things, I think those scary feelings can sometimes be good because they make you feel more confident in your ability to do other hard things!
This is how I ended up at the University of Pavia, in Pavia, Italy! I am living in a palazzo, which is a big old palace, with a group of other students from Chicago. Together, we will be studying, having fun and exploring what it means to live somewhere else.
