There is no place
like home.
Whether
you live with your family, or away in student halls or you've taken a leap
abroad - or like me, you did all three, when you find a place that encompasses
comfort and heart, you know you're home. I never believed that this time last
year I would have packed my bags and left what was my wonderful small town in
the country and flown to Italy for five months to embark on a short-lived
journey that opened my eyes and gave me the taste for freedom I so desperately
desired.
I
admit that I did not sign up to the Erasmus programme - as exciting as it was -
to go and study fashion in Milan. Nor did I sign up to learn the language or
indulge in the Italian culture, though both were incredible bonuses. I signed
up quite simply, because I wanted to prove to myself, and my doubtful peers
that I could throw myself spontaneously into another world and adapt to another
lifestyle without preparation, without thorough thought and without strings
holding me back. I wanted to show off my new fearless yearnings by
demonstrating that even such a small step out of my comfort zone could bring to
me new leases of life, new ideas and ambitions, new creativity, new appetites
and new perspectives.
Although
moving away from home is something a lot of young people embark on, and for far
longer periods of time, I wanted to share with you what this trip actually
meant to me; what this adventure brought me and why to this date, it was the
best decision I ever made.
Over
the past few years I’ve been stuck in a bit of a battle between who I am and
who I adhere to be. I’ve had things thrown in my path that I’ve learnt to walk
around, and in some cases, leap over. But every fear and every problem burdened
is one to be conquered. The trouble was, anxiety got the better of me and I
didn’t know how to conquer them. I
began to struggle to see the light in situations that usually I could laugh off
and I felt people pressuring me to become someone I didn’t want to be. And so
when the opportunity arose to leave it all behind and start again in a new
country I couldn’t shake the idea until it became a reality. I won’t lie, it
was hard. A new life no matter how small of a period it is your new life for is
a difficult adjustment. But it gave me the confidence, independence and sheer
determination to explore and discover not only the amazing and exuberant
country it is, but also what it brought out in me. And what I found was exactly
what I had been looking for; Inspiration and purpose.
I
met some of the most incredible people whilst I was out there, and every single
person taught me something different, every single person gave me something
that I could bring back to my home, in my country and use in my everyday life.
One of my closest companions taught me that no matter what happens, a
smile or a laugh can be the best medicine for hurt, and now I find it hard to
not smile and think about them whenever I feel a little lost. There are many
things I learnt, and it wasn’t all academic, at times it wasn’t always noted
and relevant, but to come away from such an awe-inspiring experience with as
much or as little as a few friends and five months’ worth of extraordinary
memories, well, that is far more valuable than anything I could have learnt in
the classroom.
If
you’re reading this and thinking, ‘wow, deep’ then yeah, I’m having a little
moment, so bare with me; I have no regrets, every move I made meant I grew up
and moved forward. If you have ever felt like you’ve strayed a little (or a
lot) from what you suppose is your anticipated path of life, don’t strive to
fall back onto the concrete, but walk a little further into the uneasy abyss
and consider yourself a wanderer, a traveller of destiny, and build a new path.
For
if you enjoy the journey and end up in a state of contentment; that is home.
Home for me is not a place in particular, but more a destination and a state of
mind. Milan became my home, leaving was inevitably hard, but I came back to
England with a more extensive and stimulating vision of the world. Go, if you
have the chance go, if you’re scared if you’re unsure, take a chance and do
something you couldn’t imagine yourself doing, it opens doors it opens your
mind and it opens your heart to experiences that so many people don’t have the
opportunity or perhaps the guts to grasp by the horns.
For
now however, England is comfortable – I shall soon be heading into my final
year of University and after that who knows? America? Thailand? Australia?
Dorothy
never spoke such wiser words.
