Writer’s block seems to be on auto mode lately when it comes to talking about myself. So bad that trying to figure out how to even introduce to you my own name seems really difficult, which is Natalie, by the way.

Intern Florence Italy
One of many facial expression you can witness when I am describing something.

How do I describe myself? Hmmm… how can I make myself seem awesome to other people? Well I’m actually a really fun and an adventurous person, I promise! But when having tell the world about myself – especially on the spot – goodness, hello word vomit.

I have come across this obstacle a million times, even in interviews. Especially when it came to the face-to-face part for Studentsville. “What are your ideas Natalie?” “What kinds of things interest you the most?” “What kind of angle do you prefer to put on your articles?”

Sitting there in that chair, with just a smile to make it seem as if I wasn’t panicking inside, I decided to open my mouth and say something. Whelp, I can tell you that for every word that came out I was kicking myself even harder inside. God Natalie, why can’t you come up with anything interesting? Stop talking in circles, they are probably thinking you have nothing to contribute. You need to start practicing talking about yourself in front of a mirror. Stop being shy, you usually are never shy. Show them what you got.

Now that I am not sitting face-to-face in front of people. I can put a stop to the rambling, scattered thoughts and really tell you about my personality and who I am.

I am a Communication, Journalism/PR major and Marketing minor at Salisbury University, back on the good ole’ Eastern Shore of Maryland where there is nothing but chicken farms and, oh yeah, my absolute favorite: the ocean. I have always dreaded the question. “Natalie, so what do you want to do when you graduate college?” Well, my initial response would of been, “I have no darn clue. Can I just keep being one of those girls putting umbrellas up on the beach every summer and call that a professional job?” It wasn’t until recently, well actually after being accepted to the Global Experiences Florence Internships program, that I started to see a clear path of what it was that I enjoyed doing and what it was that I actually wanted to do with my major.

Fun Jobs
My summer job as an umbrella girl obviously looks real stressful.

 

I’ve always had a love for photography. It’s a hobby of mine that I’ve been back and forth on throughout the years. So I started finding a way to intertwine my camera skills with my liking for blog-style journalism. Well, what better way to test it all out then right here in Italy, considering I haven’t done much world traveling in my life. Let me rephrase that, I actually HAVEN’T done ANY world traveling. I haven’t even been to California, which surprisingly gets me a lot of odd looks when I tell people here I’ve never been out there before. They look at me like, “Uh… how come? You live in the U.S and you have never been to California?” Well let me tell you something; traveling through the states is 1) way too expensive and 2) I am a college student living off student loans.

So this being my first time really traveling far away from home, I have felt like a total alien being here in Florence. I’ve embarrassed myself more times than I can count.

For instance, when I first arrived here, I used the bathroom in our hotel. I think I stared at the toilet for about three minutes trying to figure out how to flush the damn thing. Who puts a button on the wall way above the toilet? Then when I moved into my apartment, I’m sure my roommates were thinking, “This American, how does she not know how to unlock the front door?” But that is not even the worst of it.

Oceanside road
One of my photography pieces. You can be the judge.

The first day in my new place, I went out to lunch with two of my flatmates. After, they wanted to go their separate ways to run errands. I was totally down with that, I figured I knew my way back home. Well I was wrong. I stopped at the grocery store and, of course, got lost. Walking around Florence with groceries cutting off the circulation in my hands, I began to freak out a bit. I ended up calling my roommates to help me. What was really bad is that I couldn’t really tell them where I was. This is where it got embarrassing. They had to Google my location, when I finally found some nearby street names, and then leave our apartment to come find me. I was mortified. But I put a smile on and laughed along with them (at myself) the whole way home.

I am the kind of person that when I do something embarrassing I will simply straight laugh it off. And that’s what I want this blog to be like. Well, not me embarrassing myself all the time (I hope), but a way for people to relate to my experience, a way for people to laugh, and a way for people to not feel like complete outsiders when they enter into a totally new world for the first time.

So keep tuning in for more tips, adventures, and just overall fun stuff by me!

-Nat

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.