I remember when I first landed in Bologna, the warmth of the sun, the loud city filled with people I will never get to meet personally. I was more than prepared to call this place home, and just like that it is summer once again. With the passing seasons it is easy to feel lonely, but never alone. I will admit, it has been challenging. This year was a year of learning. I gained many friends, as well as lost friends, but even then you can only mourn the losses temporarily, some people aren’t meant to last in your life forever and that is okay. I am just glad they were part of the road. Even throughout all the personal challenges I had to grow from, Bologna was always there for me. The city as a whole is a little rough looking on the outside, but nothing but warmth and comfort once you get to know them. I was never a person to take myself out on dates or mini excursions, but it’s a new exercise I have employed in my life and not only is it deeply personal and almost intimate, but it has allowed me to be grateful for everything I do have.
I am grateful. I am grateful for all the inexpensive Ryanair flights. The people I have shared these unforgettable experiences with, and that somehow I have managed to travel to eleven countries all within one year. I have all these memories and beautiful snapshots I have captured in my brain and have saved for a rainy day. An encounter that I cannot stop thinking about is one that I had with my friend Franklin just recently. He is also part of the UCEAP program and studies at UC Davis, he was a year student in Bologna like I was. Just yesterday I randomly bumped into him at Giardini Margherita. A beautiful park in Bologna that becomes more alive the warmer it gets outside. Him and I began to reflect on the last time we saw each other and how fast the time has flown. He then casually mentioned how he biked from Livorno to Puglia and said something along the lines of, I saw everything people told me I needed to see and they weren’t all that fascinating, if anything it was all the things that no one else has seen that was truly magical. That is how I feel about Bologna. All the hidden treasures, beautiful classrooms, my favorite study spots, thrift shops, coffee shops. I can go on and on forever of all the places I have now declared as mine. It’s what’s below the surface that I will deeply miss. If I am being honest, I am already missing it and I haven’t even left yet.
Apart from all the traveling and exploring I did in my free time, it is essential I talk about the real reason I was in Bologna in the first place, my studies. I had a joke said to me that through an outside perspective on my social media, it appears that I have been backpacking through Europe for a whole year, that definitely made me chuckle. Studies in Bologna are different, in comparison to what I am used to, it is much more relaxed if I dare say it. Italian students are not relaxed though, you will come to learn. However, the professors’ method of teaching is different here, I felt much more comfortable with the subject I was learning and actually felt like I could discuss it with professionals. This is not to disregard all the incredible professors in the UC system, it’s just a different way of teaching and learning. Prior to coming to Bologna I knew I wanted to pursue my Masters degree, but I never knew what topic to specify in. Now that my year has come to an end, I can proudly say that I know the subject I want to pursue afterwards. The reason for this new found confidence in my desired Master's degree subject, is thanks to a course I took named International Marketing with Professor Ancarani. I often think of him and wonder how one class and one professor could have made such an impact on my future. As the time approaches for me to return to the United States, I am grateful I have a quarter left at UCSD. I feel like this last quarter could serve as a final goodbye for me to give thanks to the school that got me where I am today.