UChic Abroad: Internship Ups and Downs

I have now been in Italy three months. This officially marks the longest I have gone without seeing my parents. Today, I am also experiencing a different side of Tuscany: the romantic fantasy of the rolling Tuscan countryside depicted in Under the Tuscan Sun that I was sure did not actually, exist thanks to tourist groups and American college students like myself.

My friend, Ali, who also interned in Florence for several months, is now volunteering on an organic farm with her boyfriend, which I just had the privilege to visit. Just four train stops and I am immersed in fresh air, fields of sunflowers and a silence so loud it induces a peace of mind--quite a severe contrast from the bustling city life of Florence, which seems so silly while I am here.  

The past week was hard. Notice how my first sentence centered on my parents? My friends continued to slowly change location and summer plans. I have been at my internship for eight weeks, which suddenly seems long  as I look ahead to three more. I did have an amazing experience at work, however, which secured the reason why I came here.

I got to meet and interview Ali Hewson, wife of Bono from U2, about her new clothing line, EDUN, and attend Florence's highly anticipated men's fashion fair, which included VIP access to the American Men's Vogue cocktail party, among others. It was truly an amazing experience to mingle with my coworkers outside of the office and sip a taste of Florentine high life.  

However, I messed up for the first time last week and when problems arise in a foreign internship, they seem and feel much bigger and more dramatic. Just before hopping on a flight to Holland, I e-mailed my EDUN article to my editor, which she was unable to open because it was an unreadable file. The magazine missed deadline while I sullenly walked the streets of Amsterdam and Den Haag, sorely disappointed. And now the initial excitement and foreign-girl innocence has been replaced with an increasing sense of responsibility and stress.  

But life in Florence is still fun. Tourists pour into the city and mill along the streets, visiting museums and fancy restaurants while locals struggle to avoid the blistering summer humidity. I fly to Spain next Tuesday where I will reunite with my boyfriend of two-and-a-half years after three-and-a-half months. I am counting the days! 

I have a theory about Italy and its lifestyle. People come here to escape. Whether it be a midlife crisis ruptured from corporate America or a university failing to culturally enrich a student, Italy is seen as a happy-go-lucky oasis, the country of great food, wine and relaxation, a country where the "sweet life" truly exists.

But Italy, just like America, Turkey, Chile, Japan, has its shortcomings--it's no fairytale. And no one can replace their reality with food and wine forever. Traveling forces people to gain a different perspective, a new glance at their life. Sometimes, that glimpse of perspective reveals the person you're proud of, the person you admire, while other times you find the parts of yourself you want to change.