Week 2: Making Friends

This week was slightly more hectic than last week which is why this post is coming a little later. So I’m doing my study abroad semester through the Umbra Institute but I’m doing the direct enrollment program which means instead of taking classes at Umbra I’m taking classes at an Italian university. I’m studying at the Università per Stranieri di Perugia, (fun fact! This is the same school Amanda Knox went to) so all of my classes are with other international students who want to learn Italian. Now because I’m taking classes there it’s been a bit difficult making friends with the other Umbra students because we’re not around each other often (which is a blessing in disguise).

LESSON NUMBER 3: It’s important to make friends with people who speak the language you want to learn.

From my last year abroad I fell into the bad habit of only hanging around other American students and I never practiced Italian. My main reason for coming back to Italy was to improve my Italian, so not having a huge friend group of Americans is actually not that bad. I have a couple of American friends who actually want to learn Italian so we practice with each other and we’re about on the same level of Italian. 

This year I really wanted to make friends with people that could help me improve my Italian. But if you’re like me and have a bit of social anxiety just walking up to a group of Italians is a huge feat. Which brings me to my next lesson.

LESSON NUMBER 4: If you have social anxiety finding one friend that has the same goals as you and wants to do the same things together will help you put yourself out there.

Most people don’t know I have social anxiety because I’ve been using this trick for as long as I can remember. I find that once I find someone I’m comfortable with I can put myself out there to make more friends. 

For me that one friend is my roommate Maria. From the second we met we just connected because we had similar goals, as well as a similar sense of humor. This week we went to a tandem event for international students where we met three amazing girls, Khaoula, Lucia, and Tina. Because me and Maria put ourselves out there we were able to expand our friendship group, and it’s opened us up to some amazing experiences and opportunities. Maria and I have received invites to Jerusalem and Morocco, which of course we said yes to lol.

Italian word of the week: Amicizia – Friendship