Returning home from Italy has taken a lot of adjustment, much more than I anticipated. We weren’t there for that long, I think around 29 days, and I didn’t think I had gotten fully used to being away from home yet, so I just assumed the transition from college life to home life would be simple. I was very wrong, because I had entered the mindset of not being home. I loved being home with my family, and feeling that comfort from my parents, but knowing that I had just come home 2 months early from the experience I’ve been looking forward to since high school broke my heart. I wanted to be left alone in my room for as long as possible, with just me, my thoughts, and my pictures from abroad. I didn’t unpack for a week, and just left my full suitcase and carry on with my Carnival mask tied around it in the same spot for days (until I needed to get my laptop out of it). I felt numb almost, going from being around my friends and other students all day, every day, to returning home to my quiet house. I really didn’t know what I was going to do with myself now being home. The virus hadn’t caused a lot of problems in the US yet, so all of my friends from home were either on spring break or at college, and as soon as my quarantine was up, I made plans to go see them. But, coronavirus broke loose in New York and New Jersey, causing schools everywhere to shut down and send everyone home. It really just felt like everything that could go wrong, was. I am working on trying to see that silver lining, but it’s really difficult in times like these.
Corinne's Study Abroad Experience ~Spring 2020~ 