Here's my story:
After living in Portsmouth for now a year and 6 days, which is 9 months and 6 days longer than I intended, I finally am a step closer in putting my life in some sort of direction. I love Portsmouth and everyone here, but i need to get out. after 4 years of college and 2 years living in NYC it's nice to move home with your parents and save money on rent and groceries, but it's difficult to lose that sense of freedom and independence - especially in a social sense. It's difficult too, for my parents, to have someone else move into their condo and invade their life.
I've tried to be respectful and was always the first one to go home instead of go to the after parties, but the majority of the people i know here are in the restaurant industry and we have late hours. It's an incredibly fun industry to be a part of and experience, but my job as an expediter and getting paid hourly was not providing the mon
ey i needed or wanted. So, after the summer (yes, after - there was no way I was sacrificing beach time) and no luck finding a job, or even a second job, I decided to look into going back to school because i really have no idea what i want to do with my life. I love the NYU Food Studies program, but wasn't ready to go back to NYC. So when I found the L'Università degli Studi di Scienze Gastronomiche (aka University of Gastronomic Sciences) in Italy, i fell in love. where else to study food, but in italy?
The application process was free, but intense. First, a English speaking test and a motivational test. I spent hours on the 25 questions, trying to fit each answer perfectly into 400 characters or less. Once approved then had to send in an application form, another motivational letter, transcript, resume, passport picture, passport copy, letters of recommendation, and i'm still working on getting an accedemic accreditation from the italian embassy in pennsylvania which is proving to be impossible. $42 later, that was mailed off. Then came the list of approved candidates. I was waitlisted #11. Alright, I tried. Then came the email saying that positions opened up. Squealing, I called my parents in ireland immediately and somehow my sister knew I was calling to say I was accepted. I was so excited. However, because there were so many "qualified" applicants, the school decided to break up the program into two sections - march or may, each with 25 students. I had been planning on going to Spain in March with the restaurant I work in if this didn't work out so I wanted to start school in May. And i'm not sure i'm ready to leave portsmouth in 2 months. My parents weren't too sure though, thinking it'd be better to save my Spain money to spend in italy. Financially, that would've been the smart move, but Spain would have been awesome...and educational! but as of this morning, it has been decided. i was put into the March program - which is still fantastic!! Makes that decision easier!
thrilled, terrified, nervous, sad to leave portsmouth, ecstatic. Italy for a year?! yes, please.
now, just to figure out how to pay for this....I can barely afford to buy $2 PBR's at the press room, let alone a program that costs 21,000 euros with no spending money included. wtf was i thinking?! i remember graduating from bucknell and thinking about going back to grad school b/c i had no idea what to do with my life and dad saying that he'd always pay for our education...i'm pretty sure that's a fact and i'm pretty sure he has forgotten that. but trying to be responsible and figure out my life, i'll figure it out.
yo cospico un po italiano. mum got out italian audio discs from the library. going to have to put those to use now!!
ciao! x
