The best thing about being a Joint Honours student is the opportunity to study in another country during your third year. So you must write more essays compared to a Single Honours student, but you don't mind. Pressure is a privilege, you keep on telling yourself. Your tutor was slightly amused, even telling you that she would be a knock away (in case the coursework was getting into me). The core modules (Modern literature, poetry, and patterns of language) may not be a walk in a park, but you wanted to study literature. You have literary aspirations. If you are lucky, then you want a bestseller in your resume.
Your first year wasn't over when you decided to study Italian. You found out that those who study Italian literature spend their third year in Florence. You don't fancy reading the Bard's plays, but you have seen some adaptations. And you agreed with your father that Franco Zeffirelli's "Romeo and Juliet" was one of the best celluloid versions of the tragedy. (You could tell that he had a crush on Olivia Hussey.) But you weren't keen on visiting the famous balcony. Florence was also the hometown of Dante Alighieri. You had this silly thought about meditating in front of his statue during a cold evening. Perhaps he could advise you (in your paper writing) during one of your dreams.
What would excite you most was the chance to travel far and away. You don't mind struggling to learn the Italian language. (You're confident that you'll be fluent on the conversational level before the end of your second year.) Questions made you sit down and look at the clear sky dreamily. It didn't take you long and hard to figure out the answers:
What famous landmarks have you visited? Your father once said that churches in England were among the most impressive structures in Europe until Henry VIII declared the English monarchy to be independent of Rome. He lamented how the (English) churches lost their color, which prompted you to wonder if there were illustrations in stained windows that were hidden for many centuries. (You knew that majority of the populace were illiterate, so they would learn the message from these illustrations.) You have seen striking images of the Piazza della Signoria, and you told yourself (many times) that this would be the first place in your itinerary. You reckoned it would be better than your hometown, but you held that thought. Nothing beats the real thing.
Has travel affected you? You were certain that going places changed you. You've been to the moor many times. You don't get the same reaction. You disagreed with your housemate that it had something to do with Heathcliffe and Catherine. Then again, you were wary of a possible sighting of a werewolf. (You haven't forgotten "An American in Werewolf".) Traveling made you restless. You realized that you were missing something. What you're looking for may not be found in Florence, though. You don't mind another holiday in the distant future, though.
Would you like to live in another country? You can't imagine yourself without gray sky and light rain every other afternoon. But you never know. Young and ambitious, you're yearning to be on your own. And your parents don't mind you being away for a year or less.
