In December 2019, I, a young and naive 22-year-old, decided to uplift my life, call it quits with my life-long chapter in the United States and move to Rome. I left a future career, friendships, family, language and comfort in a place that would soon become part of the past. My ambitions and a loving support system were slowly pushed to the side thanks to a one-way ticket from New York JFK to Rome and, ultimately, a dream. 

The decision to leave was led by a bit of impulsivity and maybe an ex-boyfriend. Still, the idea of moving to Italy had been something I had been meditating on my entire life thanks to my Italian upbringing and the culture instilled in me as a child. My family would always say to me, “We may have become American, but ultimately deep down, Gabriela, we are Italian!”