That night, Fred was really cute and cooked me a welcome back dinner that was both so good and so thoughtful. Chianti to remind me of 'home'; salad with goat cheese, walnut, pear and warm balsamic vinagrette; chicken in a bearnaise sauce. Both dishes were really yummy and rich. I loved it. It was really impressive and it reminded me of the food I ate in Paris. Afterword, we went Jenny's holiday party. It was so cool and weird and exciting seeing people for the first time in months...!
On Tuesday, my mom and I took my grandparents to Lombardi's for lunch. I was not looking forward to eating my first pizza since being back from Italy. Sure enough, it was a disheartening experience. The waiter was not a cute Italian man, but some young dude with a strong Southern slur. I was so used to ordering food in Italian and I was so tempted to! I wanted to say Voglio una pizza grande con mozzarella di bufula e rucola but I highly doubted that it would go over.... So I ordered it in English and much to my disbelief, horror, shock, dismay....the restaurant did not have ARUGULA. WHAT?! a pizza place...not having arugula? Non ho capito... Lunch left me upset. Not because of the lack of herbs, but because it really hit me. I was officially living back in the U S of A and even if I return to Italy someday, it won't be the same. Sure, the pizza will be just as good but my friends I made, who became like family, won't be there on Via Ricasoli... .it would probably be just a short vacation...not a semester with ample time to explore...and blog. Sigh. Sometimes I think about it and feel like it never really happenend... like it was all a dream.
nyu sent us this overly dramatic email about post study abroad depression:
Here are some signs that you may be experiencing some reverse culture shock:
· “Reverse homesickness.” This happens when students deeply miss their abroad friends, international host families, and the city where they lived during the study abroad experience.
· “Relationships have changed.” When students return home, they may experience a change in the relationships that they had with their family and/or friends. Many students expect that everything will be exactly the same when they return home, neglecting that much can change in six months.
· “You can’t explain.” Some friends and family will be extremely open to hearing stories and seeing pictures, yet students returning from abroad often find it frustratingly difficult to put their experience into words, especially if the friends and/or family members in question have not traveled much.
· “People misunderstand.” Accidentally using a foreign language, wearing a new hairstyle or new clothing, etc. may be seen as showing off, whereas to the returning student, these behaviors are completely normal.
· “Feelings of alienation.” When students return from abroad, many develop new dislikes for aspects of their home country. Many students become hypercritical and constantly reminisce about how things in their study abroad site were much better than they are in this country.
· “Boredom.” Students return from a semester of adventure and excitement, where each day brought a new challenge and learning opportunity. Many students return to their “old routine” with their family and friends and are disillusioned with how uninteresting life can feel in their home country.
