After I opened a letter of deferral for fall admissions at UT during my senior year of high school, I felt utterly crushed. However, I was offered an alternative option. The alternative was to spend my first semester as an official college student in Europe, with guaranteed admission come spring.
Not one part of me entertained this idea truthfully. Of course, I had heard about studying abroad but never considered it so early in my academic career. The thought of leaving home for the first time as a ‘real’ adult in a foreign country terrified me.
Time was running out, and my dilemma remained. After a whirlwind of emotions and some heavy soul-searching, I decided this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I accepted the offer and planned to leave for Florence, Italy, in late August. Accepting that offer was the best decision I ever made and proof that trying new things is not always terrible, a contrast to my prior beliefs.
When I made my way through the airport gate, the only thing I remember from that moment was a constant loop of the famous ABBA song “Slipping Through My Fingers.” Ironically, as I was waving goodbye to my parents with that absent-minded smile, it took everything to hold back my tears. After all, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, right?
Once landing in Amsterdam after what seemed like the longest flight of my life, I jumped on another flight and woke up in the skies of Florence.
The culture shock was an understatement. In the taxi set to take me to my new apartment, I held on for dear life due to aggressive turns down scarily narrow streets. The driver came to a hard stop, practically dumping me on the side of a road in downtown Florence. It may not have been glamorous, but I was okay with it. However, I was not okay with the fact that it was 95 degrees outside while I had to attempt to carry four bags and three suitcases up three flights of stairs.
I remember finally getting to my room and feeling an overwhelming sense of helplessness. I could only think, “What have I done?”
Fast forward.
I eventually met my six roommates, who quickly became lifelong best friends. My newfound best friends and I were determined to make this the best four months of our lives. Spoiler alert: it was.
We went skiing in the Swiss Alps, a place I thought was made up for the sole reason of Toblerone chocolate. We went to Oktoberfest and learned how to “Prost!” in Munich, Germany. We went to Barcelona and got to see the Leaning Tower in Pisa. We explored the Amalfi Coast by boat and snacked on cheese and wine in Tuscany. You name it, we did it.
Four months came and went so fast, and before I knew it, it was time to say goodbye to my roommates and return to America. Thankfully, some of those roommates came to Knoxville with me, and the others I see when I can.
The old saying, “We don’t realize what we have until it is gone,” was not true for me. I knew exactly what I had and how fortunate I was.
While I sit in my house in good old Knoxville, I yearn for the life I once lived. I miss not having a clothes dryer or central air conditioning in my home. I miss walking almost a mile to school with a beautiful route and going to the small cafe every morning to get my favorite “un cappuccino di soya.” I long to return to our little apartment again, chatting with my friends while getting ready for a night out on the town.
Knoxville has been so good to me, but I would do anything to go back.
Ansley Graves is a sophomore at UT this year studying business. She can be reached at [email protected].
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