_Italian word of the week: la famiglia – family_
Helping your parents around Europe for the first time is kind of like how I imagine raising my first child will be. This week, it was Mom’s Weekend at my sorority, Phi Mu. We obviously couldn’t do that, so my mom and my dad both decided that they would come to Europe since my dad had never been, and my mom didn’t see much when she was here.
I knew it was going to be a challenge when I met them at the airport in Barcelona, and though their plane had been landed for an hour, I still hadn’t seen them come out of the secure area. I really started to get worried when the 70+-year-old couple who were doing a Lifelong Learning program had come out off the same flight, but my middle-aged parents were still nowhere to be seen.
I decided to shoot them a text asking them if they got caught by drug dogs or what because I figured that had to be the only reason that they could be taking _that_ long. It’s not as if I had asked them to smuggle me in some American prescription medicine. All I had them bring for me was some deodorant and Cholula hot sauce, which I don’t think is a drug, despite my addiction to it.
It turns out my mom was near tears because they were looking for me inside by baggage claim, which was still in the secure area that I couldn’t get to because I arrived in a different terminal. So after I explained to them that they needed to leave the secure area to find me, and my mom hugged me for no reason about 80 trillion times, we headed to the center of Barcelona where we would stay for a night before boarding our Mediterranean cruise.
Now, having my parents here really isn’t as bad as I’m making it out to be. I mean, without them I wouldn’t even be here — on Earth or studying abroad in Italy. The least I can do is keep them calm and hold their hands (figuratively) while they have breakdowns as they convert the euro to the dollar and realize that you always have to pay for water here.
That seems to be the hardest thing for my dad to accept about Europe, while my mom is just struggling because she can’t talk to strangers like she’s used to doing. Especially all the cute babies on this cruise ship because most of them only speak Italian or French. But every baby speaks hide-and-seek, so she still managed to make a French boyfriend, even if she is 40(ish) years his senior.
It is strange being the one who has to tell my parents what words mean, and how to behave in a society that is slightly different than the one they are used to. I would say I’m almost the parent, if not for the fact that they are still the ones footing the bill, mostly since I’m still a student (thanks Mom and Dad). Oh, and I’m still stuck on the pull-out couch in our room.
But some things are worth it. If you plan on studying abroad, just know that if your parents come to visit, they are going to expect you to have all the answers. Which will be fun considering our next stop is Tunis in Africa. I definitely won’t have all the answers there, but I’m sure our collective confusion will make for some great stories.
As this is my last column, I will tell you this: If you have the chance to study abroad, seize it. If not, as someone told me before I left, “There is great, but don’t be too sad when you come home. Because here is great, too.”
If you have any questions about studying abroad that you think I can help with, don’t hesitate to email me at molliekb@juno.com. Ciao for now!