WHY I MOVED TO ITALY IN 2021
Florence, 2021
WHY I MOVED TO ITALY IN 2021
The Beginning
Why I moved to Italy in 2021… let me start by saying it really wasn’t planned. It wasn’t planned at all actually. Like many great opportunities in life, it happened on a whim and with a bit of luck.
Similar to many other people in the world, I was stuck in an in between place in life. I was bouncing around between New York and Ohio to help take care of my 99-year-old great-grandpa while doing online classes at FIT. Don’t get me wrong— it was a beautiful, busy time being surrounded by family and friends. I was also able to spend wholesome moments with my great-grandpa before he sadly passed away a few weeks before Christmas; moments and memories I probably wouldn’t have if I was still taking classes in person in New York.
Upon finishing my degree virtually at the Fashion Institute of Technology in December 2020, I was still applying to jobs nonstop (usually with little to no response) and searching for other opportunities to complete post graduation. One of the opportunities was to pursue a master’s degree in sustainable fashion in Florence, Italy. I studied abroad in Florence during the fall semester of 2019 (pre-covid) and loved it so much that I applied to their master’s program. I got an interview around thanksgiving for their scholarship program and was told I would be contacted sometime before March 2021 if I received the scholarship.
The In Between Place
I am usually not the person to wait around for news, so I kept applying to jobs and taking interviews continuing to be stuck in the in between place. Yet, still knowing in the back of my mind that I might get this opportunity in Italy. Fast forward a few months— I had a sublease already in the city, I was in the onboarding process for a part-time job, and was planning to apply to more jobs once I got settled into my apartment. My life was already planned to go back to NYC, until I sat down with my morning coffee and checked my email on January 21st, 2021.
One of the first emails I saw read “Scholarship Winner Polimoda” and I nearly spit out my morning coffee all over my mother’s work desk. I scrambled to open the email and read it rapidly, then read it over again to make sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me. I had won the scholarship I needed to attend Polimoda for my master’s degree. Holy shit.
The Big Decision
My heart was racing out of my chest and I was speechless. I jumped out of the chair and ran around the house yelling with excitement. I then ran to my nana and shared the thrilling news. After settling down, the big question hit me… so am I no longer going back to the city?
This was a question I tossed and turned thinking about the next few nights. There were two options:
1) Go back to NYC and live the life I already planned while close to friends and family.
OR
2) Go back to Italy alone and pursue a degree revolving around one of my life passions while far away from friends and family.
The choice may seem obvious, but in reality, I was scared. After living through a global pandemic, losing a close relative, and facing much uncertainty, I wanted to choose the safer option. The safer option, in this case, was to return to NYC. I would return to the city and work part-time while figuring it out, but still have the comfort of knowing friends and family were close by. However, my family and friends asked me over and over again, “Is this really what you want?” or “Would you regret later in life not going to Italy after being given this opportunity?”.
This led to a game of tennis advice where people were telling me not to go and other people were telling me to go. With all the back and forth, I finally decided to figure it out alone and really ask myself what I wanted in life. After doing some personal digging, it led me to my final decision that I knew deep down all along… I was going to pursue this degree in Italy with nothing holding me back.
The Next Chapter
Now deciding to take a leap of faith, it was crunch time to get everything done in terms of packing, receiving my visa, and saying my last goodbyes. Amidst leaving to go abroad, my mother and nana were both in the process of moving— go figure. So many changes in so little time. Yet, all of these changes felt natural and a part of the process of life (even if they were all unexpected).
I am very grateful as I write this reflecting on the journey of how I moved unexpectedly to Italy this year. I recognize that it is a privilege and a great opportunity to be in this program during this period of my life. However, I wouldn’t be here without the support from my family and friends. So if you’re reading this, thank you.
Never in a million years could I have imagined that life would bring me back to Italy for a master’s degree at 22-years-old. It still baffles me how incredible the journey has been thus far. The passing of my great-grandpa, who lived a full and colorful life, reminded me that life is too short to not go after what you want. So even if it feels scary at first, trust the unexpected and follow your intuition. The rest will fall into place.
xx,
Iz
