About myself and Italy

When I was nine years old my parents made a decision that changed my life forever: My mom and dad decided to relocate my family from Italy to The United States. Being only nine years old and not knowing the language truly terrified me. Arriving to the United States, I had no idea what to expect but I knew my family would be with me every step of the way. It was really hard to find myself here, all I thought about was how badly I wanted to be home with the rest of my family, in a place where I knew I felt comfortable. Moving my life to the other side of the world, I didn’t expect anything to go as planned. I’ve had to learn to embrace all of the imperfections and find myself, and stability in chaos. Things didn’t always work out the way I wanted them to, making friends and finding the right people to hangout with was hard, but I realized I wasn’t alone, and that’s what made me stronger. No matter how much I didn’t want to be here, I had to, so I might as well put the effort in to better myself as well as this experience. Moving to another country requires a lot of bravery, but fear was definitely the first emotion I felt. I started to wonder, will I ever feel at home? Will I ever adjust to the cultural differences? Throughout the years, those questions were answered, and I have.

Once I let go of any expectations about how I wanted things to happen, I opened up to a whole new set of experiences I might not have had otherwise. I stopped creating this image of who I wanted to be, and was finally my true self. This allowed me to make incredible friendships that I will cherish forever. One thing I learned, after many panic attacks, is that whatever happens, I know I can handle it. Worrying about everything has never helped anyone before, and it certainly won't help me now. I have learned to be flexible, and openminded so that when anything comes my way, I will bend and not break, and adjust to cope with any type of situation. Trusting in my ability to handle issues as they arise, helps me rid of any of my old irrational fears. It was possible to step out of my comfort zone to find beauty in those difficult moments, and enjoy the ride no matter how bumpy and hard it can be.

Having the opportunity and privilege to move across the world is not something everyone is able to have, so I have learned to be grateful. As a senior in high school, and being eight years since I’ve moved, I am so proud of the person I’ve grown to become. Even though there have been many ups and down along the way, I believe that in the end, working hard to make my family proud is my way of thanking them for the privilege I received. I am so excited to see what my future in the United States holds for me, and I can’t wait. Italy will always be there and it will always be my home, but I will only have this lifetime opportunity once, and I know I finally can make it count.

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