It is Wednesday and only three days before our group heads to Italy. The reality of this opportunity has just started to sink in… and then… I had the chance to interact with someone who is geographically close, who shared feelings of nostalgia towards his motherland and who also expressed a strong sense of not belonging to the culture he is experiencing. I was moved by this person’s insight and anguish. I hope to be able to always empathetically listen to others’ stories. Feeling foreigner, no matter what the setting, can be very difficult and lonely.