1 year on: Things I now know to be true...

The beginning

It blows my mind a little that on this weekend 1 year ago, I was downing G&T as if it was some sort of life saving medicine, terrified at the prospect of upheaving myself across a continent. If I could have told past me a few truths though, these would have been them:

1. You can’t just talk about “home” anymore…No-one will know whether you mean Italy or the UK.
2. Similarly...there’s no harder question than when someone asks you where you’re from…
3. People will think you’re always on holiday. They’ll ask every time they see you when you’re coming back. It’ll make you question your choices. You'll learn to suck it up.
4. People also think you live on a diet of pizza and pasta (okay there’s some truth to this one!)
5. Learning Italian will be hard. At some stage you have to accept you’re going to sound English when you talk, and just. try. Some people will look at you strangely. Some people won’t understand what you’re saying. But at the end of the day, most people will appreciate your basic attempts. It’ll result in some really special memories.
6. Normal day to day activities suddenly become a day's work. Things like going to the swimming pool, or the supermarket. But this. gets. easier. It won't feel like it for a long time, but it will. I promise.
7. One day you will get to the airport, and realise you understand the announcements over the tannoy now. This will feel like a bigger victory than it probably should.
8. You'll miss home, desperately, but that doesn’t mean you’re unhappy where you are. This doesn’t get easier. Grow around it.
9. All the food that you took for granted and now can’t get so easily any more becomes a craving. This is despite the fact you certainly didn’t require it as a daily essential when living in England! Crumpets, I’m mainly looking at you. 
10. Friendships change. Some stay, some go. The real ones stay.
11. You’ll make new friends, too. Because it turns out triathlon supersedes small barriers like language, and brings you a whole circle of people who have your back. Reason #678 to love tri.
12. There’s a whole tonne of people who have done what you’re doing. You’re not special. You aren’t the first, and you aren’t the last. You will survive, don't be dramatic about it. Although this applies to most things, actually.
13. Italians have their own approach to queuing, or not queuing as the case may be. Adapt and overcome, you’re not gonna win this one.
14. Italians really do gesticulate with their hands as much as the stereotypes suggest.
15. The driving stereotypes are true too.
16. So many people will come to visit, and you’ll love it when they do. 
17. Your visitors will make you think that your basic Italian is actually amazing as they declare how impressed they are by your skills. Even if all you do is order coffee successfully!
18. The way Italian radio hosts say English song names will never stop being amusing... But their Italian chatter will still be too fast to ever understand more than the gist of what they might be saying..so jokes on me, I guess!
19. You’re never left thinking what if - because you took the opportunity and ran with it. Warts and all. And that will count for a whole lot, every step along the way.

20. Tom will try to change the fact you can't ski. He will fail.