#Atlanta&Surroundings - Day 5

I festival. O li ami o li odi. O sei uno di quelli che piazza tenda e asciugamani e non si muove più o sei uno che corre da un palco all'altro per essere sempre in prima fila. È sempre un'esperienza unica e speciale. Secondo festival negli States per me ma il primo di genere rock. Si respirava Woodstock, davvero.

*****

Music festivals. You love them or you hate them. Some people stays sitting down in the same place all day, some people run back and forward to be always under stage. It's always a unique and special experience. This is my second festival in the States but the first one rock. I felt like I was at Woodstock '68, I'm not exaggerating.

#Atlanta&Surroundings - Day 4, 7 & 8

Eccoci qua, la vacanza ormai è finita e tocca pure a me tornare a casa, all'università e al lavoro. "Brav, bamblina pi nen". Giusto per entrare in mood Piemonte, autunno, sagre e mangiate. Mentre sono qui in aeroporto per 9 eterne ore di scalo quale modo migliore di far passare il tempo se non aggiornarvi.

*****

Here we are, vacation's coming to an end and I got to go back home, to class and to work. Piedmont is very active and vibrant in the fall so I'm actually very excited about to see what will happen. I'm stuck in the airport for 9 never ending hours so I got some time to update you.

#Atlanta&Surroundings - Day 3

Il tempo è passato così velocemente che manco me ne sono resa conto.

La terza giornata in Atlanta è stata particolarmente interessante. Raggiungo il centro 'downtown' e inizio a girare un po' il quartiere, quello degli hotel e dei luoghi turistici e si sa è inevitabilmente sempre da vedere. Ci sono 3 attrazioni sulla mi focalizzo nella mattinata: il quartier generale della CNN, il mondo di Coca-Cola e il Centennial Olympic Park.

*****

Time went by fast and I didn't even have the time to realize what happened.

Day 3 in Atlanta was very interesting. I reached downtown area and I took a look around. It's famous for its hotels and turistic places. In the morning, I spent most of the time at the CNN headquarter, the 'World of Coca-Cola' and the Centennial Olympic Park.

#Atlanta&Surroundings - Day 1 & 2

Partire per un viaggio è bellissimo e ti regala moltissime emozioni. Farlo da soli è eccitante ma se ci impieghi 22 ore da casa tua a destinazione arrivi che sei cotto come una pera.

*****

Leaving for a trip is always a beautiful experience. Doing it alone is exciting but if you spend 22 hours travelling, from your home to destination, you arrive exhausted.

Why Study Abroad Is Important - Video

After a week of break, here I am again. 
Today I show you a video about my American Year (4 years ago). I loved to study abroad and I'm trying to do it again, so I believe that studying abroad it's very important and it's worth to invest money on it, if it's possible. 
Enjoy the show.

Dopo una settimana di pausa, eccomi di nuovo.

Oggi vi mostro un video che ho realizzato sul mio anno in America (4 anni fa). Ho amato studiare all'estero e sto cercando di poterlo rifare, quindi credo che studiare all'estero sia veramente importante e valga la pena investirci del denaro, se è possibile.

Buona visione

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The Reverse Culture Shock: A Personal Disorientation

Now, you are back home. You can hug your family and your friends. You can sleep in your bed. 

You come back to your old life.

But you feel something inside, it’s strange. You feel disorientated.

What is it?
It is called Reverse Culture Shock (a.k.a. "Re-entry Shock", or "own culture shock"). It may take place returning to one's home culture after growing accustomed to a new one. This results from the psychosomatic and psychological consequences of the readjustment process to the primary culture. The affected person often finds this more surprising and difficult to deal with that the original culture shock.

What kind of emotions you may be going through?

You may have a reverse homesickness-missing people and places from abroad. Boredom, insecurity, uncertainty, confusion, frustration and need for excessive sleep. Your goals or priorities changed. Feelings of alienation and of resistance toward family and friends.

Everything seems okay but deeply inside something is not right.

You may feel stuck: you don’t like the same things anymore, the most part of the people you used to know is probably not interested to understand your 

new personality, you may feel misunderstood.
Last but not least, be careful not to drop your travel tales into too many conversations. Nobody (almost) cares about your travels, so be sensitive and choose carefully who you share your experience with.

How long this disorientation last?

It depends on you.

You don’t have to think <<This will never be a problem to me.>> because it will happen anyway. You have to be wise and get ready to face family and friends before leaving the foreign country.

Moreover, there are many tricks to emerge victor:

1. Staying in touch with fellow study abroad students and sharing your re-entry experiences;
2. Get involved in cultural or international activities in your community or on your home campus;
3. Stay connected to the world through global news networks and newspapers with an international/global focus;
4. Journal your thoughts and emotions;
5. Share your experience through writing contests, photo contests, being an active alumni, etc.;
6. Plan your next abroad experience;
7. Have more than one welcome back party;
8. Be grateful to be home

To be specific Reverse culture Shock is usually a path of 4 stages that you can find here well described.

In my story, every step happened by the book.

Boredom, confusion, frustration, misunderstandings, feeling stuck…

Thankfully I had some good friends who help me out. Listening a million times my American tales, spending much time to know me better also if I was the same girl they used to appreciate, making me feel loved.

But I unavoidably changed a lot so I lost some friends and habits I had before, sometimes intentionally.

For what concerns the advises described before I realized all of them except one (#2) and I guarantee they helped me to face my new life.

IT’S NOT BETTER, IT’S NOT WORST, 

IT’S DIFFERENT.

Taking A Trip Down To Memory Lane: Homecoming Time

Last week in Michigan.

I went to a lot of Graduation Parties, I said goodbye to many people, I gathered my belongings together, I watched my last sunsets and I cried bitter tears.

But let’s start from the beginning.

The week got the lead out.

It began happily because I was on vacation, I felt ready to go home, I bought many gifts and I was looking forward to give them, I went to many parties and everybody knows that the things I love the most are Parties and Food, I felt well-integrated in the community,  so I can’t explain how much I was happy.

Few days before the departure something changed.

Nobody wants to be woken up while dreaming.

I was scared to come back to reality because I unavoidably lost pieces of my friends’ life, I was living (almost) on my own and I became a little bit more selfish, I was again plunging into the unknown, the “dream” became the real life and the “reality” became the uncertainty.

I fell apart.

Were my friends still interested to me? Was my family ready to my new and enriched character? Was I ready to face the summer with 15 Kg more? Yes, I gained around 15 Kg living 9 months and 2 weeks in the U.S.A..

Saying goodbye to my American friends resurfaced the memories we had together.

While picking up my stuff from my bedroom I went through a lot of feelings and I ended up with a smile and a tear poured down my face.

Last but not least, leaving my host family was hard as integration.

Sara, Resa and her boyfriend Devin, Kara, Jeanette and the Mcdonalds, neighbors and family’s friends and relatives: they all make me feel home and I will never say enough “thank you” to describe my gratitude.

The most touching event was a short chat with Kara, my younger host sister, ended with a long and desperate crying. Kara helped me out all year long and since I am an only child she is the closest thing to a sister I will never know.

Time’s up! Put luggage into the trunk and go to airport.

You have many hours of flight to clear up your thoughts. All alone.

Landed.

Now, you are back.

Now, you have to speak Italian again. Also if you don’t want.

Graduation Day

May 30, 2008. What a great day: school finished, Senior year was gone, all my American friends were smiling, we were waiting altogether in a long line inside the main building to walk out in the back yard for the ceremony.

It was all quite until I heard a friend of mine yelling from the end of the hall: <<Veronicaaaaaa someone  is looking for you! She looks lost.>>

And there she appeared, my mum.

New hair color, same genuine look.

It was weird, it didn’t seem so long I wasn’t seeing her but 9 months passed by fast.

Anyway, I knew she was coming to the Graduation but I didn’t know she was already arrived.

The ceremony started.

Awards to Honour Society members were given.

Fathers were recording videos and mothers were wearing the best dress.

The national anthem echoed.

The degree hand in began. As usual, I was the last one on the list because my last name starts by Z.

While waiting to go up on the platform, I noticed that after a long and very cold winter it was finally sunny and warm.

When it was my time to get my diploma and the Principal handshake everybody else was already throwing hats toward the sky. 

By the time I came down everything was concluded. Sigh.

Time for pictures!

Kara and I. She taught me what sisterhood is.

With my "mums".

After all that, my host family, my mum and I went to Red Lobster for dinner.

At Red Lobster.

I spent the day after with my mother exploring downtown Monroe, MI and chatting a bit. My mum rent a Corvette for the occasion and many laughs were spent for the bad driving due to the automatic shift.

In the late afternoon we said goodbye again to each other and then she came back to NYC. This time was easier let her go, 8 days later I was supposed to be back home.