Melissa’s Journals

March 2, 2026

Vola, Vola!

February is a month that flies by. It’s the shortest month of the year, and the time when many of us have adapted to our newly set routines. What was once new has now fallen into place. After spending the last couple months with my second host family, I feel at home again. 

As each day passes by, the trees grow greener and the sun shines a little brighter. The weather was especially beautiful when I went to Verona. It was the first time in months when I felt okay going out without a scarf or a thick jacket on. The sky was clear and the landscape seemed straight out of a Renaissance painting. It’s been my favorite city in Italy so far. On every corner there was something to see, and every building I entered had its own story to tell. I visited the famous Casa di Romeo e Giulietta and suddenly understood why Shakespeare chose to set the play in a city like Verona. It’s an easy place to fall in love with. As we continued exploring the city, we passed by the Adige River and stopped for some gelato. Later that day, we stopped by Lago di Garda to see the sunset. The blues of the lake and the sky blended perfectly into one single hue. I’m falling more deeply in love with this country, and overall, this experience. Sometimes it just takes a pistachio cream and a bit of sun to realize it.

In the middle of February, we got two days off from school for Carnevale, which is the period right before Lent when people throw huge parades around town wearing handmade costumes and masks. I saw a portion of it in a nearby town, and it was very fun. Everything was so colorful and people seemed to be having a great time.

I’m also really glad I’ve explored some other zones in Italy that were on my bucket list. One of them was Milan, which I went to with the other exchange students in my town. We visited a museum, explored the center, and walked around a little. Of course, we got to see the Duomo, which is the most beautiful I’ve seen so far. It’s the perfect example of Italian Gothic architecture: enormous structures with great attention to detail. I didn’t get to go inside, because with so many tourists, it’s necessary to buy a ticket. Especially with the Winter Olympics happening, I saw lots of people coming from other parts of the world, like the U.S. and Canada. It felt weird because they seemed like foreigners to me even though I was also a tourist myself. During the long weekend, I also went to a beautiful spot in Liguria with my host family. We stopped by the beach and had a gelato at sunset. It was my highlight of the month. 

That week I also visited two of the most iconic sites in Cremona: The Torrazzo, the tallest clock tower in Europe, and the Museo del Violino, a museum that is home to the most famous Stradivarius instruments. From the top of the tower, I could get a panoramic view of Cremona, which made me fall in love with the city all over again. When we went to the violin museum, I felt like I had just arrived in Cremona, amazed at the beauty and complexity of violinmaking.

I’m really happy I’ve been cooking more often with my second host family. It feels like we’re sharing a taste of our cultures through the food we make together. My host dad has been teaching me some Italian recipes, and I’ve gotten the chance to share some Mexican dishes with them in return, like homemade tortillas , or a tres leches cake I made with the help of my friends. 

Part of the reason I decided to study abroad was to learn a new culture, a new language, and a new way of living. In general, I just wanted to experience life, day by day, in a completely new environment. I am confident that I’ve achieved that goal, and I see it in the way I lose track of time at the dinner table as I share a plate of pasta with my host family, in the way I wake up excited to see my friends at school and say ciao to them every morning like I’ve done since the first day of school, and in the way I feel the need to go out for a walk every time it’s sunny outside.

I was just writing about how September had brought so many new memories. I don’t know in what moment I blinked and half of my exchange year had flown by. It seems like the days go by faster, but one thing that will always stick in my mind is what my first host mom told me before switching host families. She said:

Here in our garden, the momma bird comes every spring and teaches her offspring how to fly by pushing them out of the nest. The first time I saw the babies fall, I was gasped, confused at why she would do such a thing. Soon, I understood that’s how they learn to be on their own. I try to do the same with my kids, pushing them out of the nest so that they can go about life on their own. Now I’m doing the same with you. 

Fly, Melissa, fly.