The issue is that not all of my life goals were work-related, so in the fleeting moments between filming TV segments and attending meetings, I wondered when I’d find the time to do things like learn a new language or experience a different culture. My limited annual leave just wasn’t cutting it.<\/p>\n
The more I flirted with the idea of attending culinary school<\/a> in Paris or practicing samba in Rio, the more excited I got about moving abroad. <\/p>\n After working through the logistics, I submitted my resignation letter at work and landed on Florence, Italy, as my new home.<\/p>\n The transition to life abroad was lonely and disorienting<\/p>\n After years of working a 9-to-5 schedule, I started freelancing when I moved to Italy.\u00a0<\/p>\n Justine Golata<\/p>\n From the moment I landed in Italy, my life looked and felt different.<\/p>\n Although I had some stable footing \u2014 I signed a lease in Florence and enrolled in an intensive Italian-language program \u2014 I lacked the routine I’d had for years.<\/p>\n I told myself I could rely on the occasional freelance writing gig until I came up with a more concrete plan, but my world felt completely off-kilter. Without a 9-to-5 schedule holding me accountable and giving me structure, the days seemed to escape me.<\/p>\n I spoke almost no Italian when I arrived (despite taking an online course the month before I left), and the language barrier<\/a> left me feeling isolated in social situations where I’d normally be one of the chattiest people in the room.<\/p>\n My go-to creature comforts weren’t landing the same way either. In New York, I’d picked up comforting habits like grabbing a frothy afternoon coffee or raiding the romance section at my favorite bookstore on tough days.<\/p>\n I tried to replicate them in Florence, but Italians don’t drink cappuccinos past 11 a.m. (they switch to espresso, and I was trying to assimilate), and the English book selection at the shop near my apartment was limited, at best.<\/p>\n As I adjusted to my day-to-day life in Florence, I had moments when I realized that putting my professional success<\/a> and stability on hold to pursue personal goals was more complex than I’d expected. <\/p>\n And because Florence is in the Central European Summer Time, which is six hours ahead of New York, the time change made it difficult to lean on my US-based support system.<\/p>\n Slowly, I adapted to my surroundings<\/p>\n Somewhere between relaxing in piazzas and perfecting my espresso order<\/a> (al banco), I realized I’ve picked up quite a bit since moving overseas. <\/p>\n For example, I showed up in Italy speaking almost no Italian, but seven months into my move, I can hold a basic conversation without stumbling over my words.<\/p>\n The slower pace in Italy has also taught me that there’s a difference between being productive and having a dysregulated nervous system. In Florence, I started to feel like I was gaining back years of my life I’d sacrificed to hustle culture in New York.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n