Last semester, I studied abroad in Bologna, Italy. I grew as a person and become much more cultured. These are some things that happened to me as a result of studying abroad in Italy and in Europe in general. Will you get the true Lizzie McGuire experience? Who knows?

1. You will live off prosciutto, pasta, bread, cheese, and wine.

It is all so readily available and so freaking delicious that you will have it almost every single day, if not every day. It will taste better than your favorite Italian restaurant in the States.

2. You will fall in love with gelato.

You will go through a period of eating it every day, and you won’t get sick of it. It’s so much creamier and more delicious than American ice cream. There are flavors you just can’t get in America, like fior di latte (directly translated: flower of milk- a creamier, more subtle vanilla) and bacio (directly translated: kiss- Perugian chocolate topped with hazelnuts).

3. You become a food, coffee, and wine snob.

After coming home, going to an Italian restaurant has no appeal for you. Nothing will ever taste the same. I tried some parmesan cheese here, and it did not taste good. What do you mean I can’t get fresh-made pasta and parmesan cheese every day? What do you mean I can’t have a cappuccino made with fresh Italian coffee every day? What do you mean I can’t drink wine in the Chianti region? What do you mean I am no longer legal to drink wine casually at dinner anymore? What do you mean prosciutto isn’t in every single grocery store?

4. You realize the difference between Italian and Italian-American.

There are many great foods that I love at Italian restaurants in the U.S. that are simply not actually Italian. This includes mozzarella sticks and chicken parmesan. Also, the Italian-American pronunciations for things are just plain wrong. It’s pronounced prosciutto not prosciut, mozzarella not moozarell, and espresso not expresso. Those are just a few. Italians don’t actually eat that much spaghetti. There are many more other pastas. Italian Americans developed from Italian immigrants. They did not have the exact same resources and materials as they did in Italy, so it is natural that they developed and became a different culture than the Italians.

5. You realize America is not the best at everything.

Growing up in America makes you think that they truly are the best at everything. It’s very much not true. The cost of education and traveling are both significantly higher, and we still do not have universal health care. Where are the $50 RyanAir flights? Where are the super-effective airport security lines that take less than ten minutes? There are other people living on the planet, and the world does not revolve around America. People live differently than we do, and that’s amazing. Other countries just do certain things better than America.

6. You realize how efficient the Euro is.

The smallest coins and bills have the least value and the largest ones have the most value. The bills are also different colors, so no need to worry about confusing the different U.S. bills. When traveling to other E.U. countries that use the Euro, you don’t need to worry about getting a new currency and trying to understand how it works.

7. You become a pro at traveling and public transit.

Before going abroad, I was really not used to traveling alone or with people other than my parents. By the end, I got so used to navigating foreign airports and train stations and planning trips. TripIt becomes your best friend. It becomes pretty easy by the end.

8. You become good at managing your budget.

Going abroad is expensive, there’s no doubt to that, but in general, things are cheaper. You spend less money on food and traveling, and you get way more bang for your buck than you would in the U.S.

9. You become more confident.

Living in a new country makes you step out of your comfort zone. You will try new foods, travel new places, and have to deal with people that don’t speak the same language as you. You will have to navigate foreign cities by yourself.

10. You improve your Italian language skills.

You have to speak to people on a daily basis, which makes you more conversational. It is completely different than awkwardly struggling to talk to people in class. You will also learn various slang words that you would never have learned in class. You become more comfortable and more capable of speaking to native speakers. Whether it's talking to the taxi driver or ordering in a restaurant, you become much better.

11. You realize English truly is the universal language.

Everywhere you travel, you are able to find at least one person who speaks English. This is super helpful if you don't speak the language. You also wonder why nobody in America speaks any other languages. If everyone has to learn a language, why do Americans not make an effort to learn other languages?

12. You realize how dinner time is completely different.

Dinner at 6 p.m? What? In Italy, I would usually eat dinner around 8-8:30 p/.m. Many restaurants would open for dinner at 7:30 p.m the earliest. At my college in the U.S., the dining hall closes at 8 p.m. In Spain, they often wouldn’t eat dinner until 10 p.m.

13. You discover the wonder that is "aperitivo" and conclude it is much better than happy hour.

This is a traditional Italian event before dinner. It is typically an unlimited food buffet and one alcoholic drink for about 6 euros. It is not meant to be your dinner but rather to have some finger food with a drink will socializing and stimulating your appetite for dinner.

14. You will understand how Europeans are so skinny.

How do they do it, you ask? They walk all the time. In Italy, I didn’t gain weight, even though I ate so many carbs because I had to walk everywhere. I had no car, so I had to walk to all my classes, the grocery store, to meet friends, etc. I was constantly walking.

15. You get used to different times.

You get used to using military time because everyone uses it. You become really good at converting between the two time systems. 14? Okay, that’s got 2 p.m., got it. You will also have to convert a lot between the time of your friends and your parents back home in order to talk to them.

16. You have quality Instagrams.

Let’s face it. Everyone loves to see a photo of you standing in front of the Roman Coliseum, or seeing a beautiful sunset in Tuscany. It’s just really awesome and a lot cooler than posting a picture of your dog. Your Instagram will face a serious hit after you come home. You won’t have the same content in the U.S. as you did abroad.

17. You feel the need to correct all the uncultured people.

You are constantly correcting people’s pronunciation. You tell people that even though Rome is fantastic, there is a lot more to see than just Rome. You tell people how Italians only eat bolognese sauce with tagliatelle noodles and eating it with any other type of noodle is un-Italian. You will explain that Austria and Australia are different places. Your Italian-American friends who have never been to Italy will get especially annoyed at being corrected. People will probably think you’re stuck-up and annoying, but at least you know, you’re right.

18. You will realize that Italians dress for the season, not the weather.

People will look at you like you’re crazy when you and your other American friends dress in tank tops, shorts, and sandals in September even though it’s 95 degrees. It doesn’t matter that 95 degrees is incredibly hot, that is unseasonably warm, and they dress for the typical September weather. In December, when it’s 50 degrees, you will see them walking around in their big puffy coats, even though you have a much light-medium weight jacket on.

Studying abroad in Italy and in general is definitely a lot different than living in the US. It's filled with good and bad, and you will probably experience many of these things.