There is much that seems distant and mysterious to young people: What am I going to do? How will I achieve my goals? Who or what will my guide be? The late, peripatetic Anthony Bourdain hinted at an important way forward, a road to find out. “Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life — and travel — leaves marks on you.”
Moving forward, now that I have completed my semester abroad, has been difficult. I had the time of my life abroad. Coming back to the States was actually more of a culture shock than leaving them for Italy. Living abroad brought me clarity and allowed me a space to be honest with myself about how I want to live.
I don’t see myself living in the U.S. fulltime. I think I’ve always known I wanted to live abroad, and those four months living in Rome solidified that for me. It’s not that I don’t enjoy living in the States, I do, but for some reason I felt more “at home” in Italy. That being said, after I finish my undergrad at Salve Regina University in May, I hope to make my dream a reality and move back to Italy.
My career focus has recently shifted from museum management to the global art business. It’s rather funny, I’ve spent most of my college experience replying “actually, no” to the prompt that I might become something like an art dealer (what a cliche) given that I am pursuing a degree in art history with a business minor — turns out that’s exactly what I want to do. And I have this experience abroad to thank for leaving a mark on me and paving the road forward.
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