I recently came across this blog post by Michelle at Bleeding Espresso about her decision to move to Italy, and I also wanted to share the theme here as it played a role in my decision to move to Italy.

The travel bug is an interesting phenomenon. For some people, they travel to somewhere new, enjoy themselves and create some good memories, but they are content to go back home and settle back into their lives. For other people, after their first few travel experiences, something changes within them and they are not the same. They will feel restless the longer they stay at home, and there will always be a desire, even if it is deeply buried, to go out, explore new places, and try new things.

I am definitely in the second category. In high school, I spent some time in Japan and absolutely loved it. During my freshman year of college, I read The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, and I caught the “expat” bug. Europe was my new intrigue, and I knew that at some point in time, I would have to experience living somewhere in Europe. The idea was so deeply ingrained in my head that it was a virtual certainty.

A few years later, at the age of 23, I got my chance. I was one year out of college, had just left my first job, and had no idea what to do with myself. Somewhere in the back of my mind was the idea of moving to Italy, but it didn’t seem like a serious possibility at first and I spent some time looking at various career options. As time went by and I remained ambivalent about getting a new job, the idea of moving to Italy continued to grow. And at a certain point, I simply decided that that was what I was going to do. My friends and family questioned the idea, but I was certain it was the right thing to do.

So I just did it. I moved to Milan, even though the only time I had been there was traveling through the train station and I didn’t know anyone there. I spent nine months studying Italian at a language school, getting to know the city, and exploring. And I have no regrets.

Following dreams in Milan

Writing this post, I wondered what life would have been like if I had simply moved on to the next job. I would have missed out on a lot. Here are some of the things I got to do simply because I made the decision to take a chance: I went to the Winter Olympics in Torino. My Italian is much better than it would have been otherwise. I got to know people from all over the world at my language school. I bonded with an Egyptian pizza-maker over being a foreigner in Italy and visiting New York. I got to know a real (non-tourist-filled) Italian city. And I realized my dream of experiencing the expat lifestyle in Europe. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of these things if I had decided to stay at home.

So the point is, if you’re one of those people who harbors a secret desire to experience life in a different country, to borrow a famous marketing slogan, just do it. Life isn’t going to wait around and hand you your dreams on a silver platter. Sometimes you have to make things happen. And sometimes it comes down to making a simple decision.

And one more thing: I know a lot of people run into resistance when proposing an idea like this to people they are close with. Some people are cynical and negative. Some people are simply worried about you. I was lucky in that my parents were supportive, but it did take some convincing. If other peoples’ reactions are the only thing holding you back, don’t give up. It takes courage to do something like this, but the rewards are so much greater than the risks. And no one is going to make it happen for you expect you.

So what are you waiting for? Just do it!

Since I just started this site, I thought it might be helpful if I talked about my first trip to Italy and the effect it had on me, as a way of setting the stage for what this site is all about. During the summer between my freshman and sophomore year in college, my parents took me and my cousin to Italy for the first time. The itinerary was straight out of a standard tourist guidebook, a seven-day trip through Venice, Florence, and Rome. My initial impressions of these three great cities have pretty much remained intact since the first visit.

Venice is the most unique city in the world, in my opinion. However, as I learned on that first trip, it’s best to stay away from the crowds in the main piazzas, especially if you visit in the summer, as we did. My favorite thing to do in Venezia is to basically get lost on purpose and explore all of the side-walkways and canals. Since the city is surrounded by water, it’s not like you’re going to get terribly lost and end up miles away, and you get to see up close what truly makes this place so unique.

Florence is a beautiful city, but I find that my appreciation of its beauty has always been dampened by my lingering frustration whenever I visit. Yes, there are great museums and plenty of interesting things to see. But as someone who wants to speak Italian with Italians, I get so frustrated when I say something in Italian to a shop owner, waiter, clerk, etc. and the response always comes in English, no matter how much I try to use proper grammar and pronunciation. I know I look like an American and you have to speak English to hundreds of tourists everyday, but come on, throw me a bone here! This wasn’t a problem on this first trip because I didn’t speak a word of Italian yet, but it bugs me now whenever I go. With that said, I can still see why so many people absolutely love Firenze.

Florence: Enchantment and Frustration all in one

And finally, Rome, the eternal city. There’s something so strange and curiosity-stimulating about the juxtaposition of ancient ruins in the middle of a modern city. I loved Rome as soon as I got there, and I still do. If anything, my appreciation has grown. If you haven’t been there, go.

So my first trip to Italy was a success, even though we didn’t stray far from the standard tourist fare. And despite my ambivalent feelings toward Florence, the city did play a key role in my enchantment with Italy, which is the main reason why this site is here today. In college, I knew I wanted to do a study abroad program, but I didn’t know where. I had studied Japanese in high school and had spent a bit of time in Japan, but I was ready for something new. And it was sitting on the banks of the River Arno in Florence, enjoying a delicious dinner with my family while watching the sun set over the surrounding hillside, that I knew that this was where I wanted to be. When I got back to school in the fall, I started taking Italian classes and ended up studying Italian for two years, spending six weeks in Verona during an awesome, life-changing study abroad program, and eventually living in Milan for nine months.

So grazie, Firenze, for opening up the Italian world to me. But would it kill you to answer me in Italian?