Building a Better Life in Italy and Beyond

Travel Insight of the Week

Gosh, I love traveling and I love planning. I actually tried to start a blog/business last year building custom itineraries for people and sharing travel content on social media but then… I wasn’t able to travel much and didn’t get must traction and I lost interest.

But not this time! I’m moving to Europe and every day will feel like this small-town girl from Idaho is traveling. I don’t care if I simply explore a new local shop.

trav·el / ˈtrav(ə)l/ verb

1. go from one place to another, typically over a distance of some length.

Ok, so the official definition of travel means to go over a distance of some length but it doesn’t say the length. As far as I am concerned, to travel is to go from one place to another to try/see/taste/feel something new.

I believe traveling is all about intentions. While in Europe, I intend to make every day a learning opportunity. Yes, I will be living amongst many Americans (military life) but I want to immerse myself in the community, make Italian friends, and share our cultures with one another.

Duolingo

I have been using this app for 3 straights week now (I started a streak and I am a sucker for classical conditioning, I will not allow myself to break it lol). I truly love what this app has to offer, I am using a paid version since I wanted to get everything I can out of it over the next 3 months but they have a free version.

If you plan to travel to another country, or simply want to learn a new language/about a new culture, I highly recommend giving it a try.

My 13-year-old nephew actually took it upon himself to use the app to try to learn Spanish so he could speak with a new student who didn’t speak English (gosh, he’s the sweetest soul).

Learning a new language not only helps you to speak to others from new places but also helps you to get to know a bit more about the culture.

Also, the app is super fun. It’s a gamified experience and there are all types of fun characters and sounds so you stay intrigued.

Check out Duolingo today!

Instagram & YouTube

I would also say TikTok but well… you know.

Of course, once I found out about my move to Italy (and started chatting with people about it). My social media feed started giving me all the Italy content. My friends also started sending me any Italy-related content.

The great thing about using social media to research the place you are going is that you can get insights into the culture from not only other tourists but also locals. There happen to be many creators who love sharing about their culture/cities with other people and this is truly a valuable resource.

I am so thankful that I found a YouTube creator who happens to be a military wife living in the same installation where I will be moving to and she shares a ton of great information about living abroad as a military spouse.

Most recently I found the Italian American creator _chiarainitaly_ who shares a ton of insights about Italian culture (and a lot about how it differs from American culture). I’ve been binge-watching her reels like I binge-watched Grey’s Anatomy in 2011.

Sorry, not sorry. Not only has she taught me a ton about Italian culture. She has also taught me a lot about where to travel and how to work while abroad. Thanks to her I am starting a teaching journey with Outschool, an online learning platform where children can learn literally anything.

That got long, my bad.

What’s Cooking

Since the travel portion of this newsletter got a bit out of hand I’m going to make this bit short and sweet.

I’m trying to get my 2021 body back before I make my way to Italy because, for one, I need my cute summer clothes to fit lol. Also, I need some wiggle room for all the pasta I intend to eat. I’m still eating meal box meals from Marley Spoon for the next few days and then I am going to do some meal prep of basic things like veggies, steamed rice, and grilled meat. Nothing exciting.

That being said, there are a few things I have learned about food culture in Italy that I am STOKED about.

1. Il mercato “the market” is a regular thing. Unlike here in the States, you don’t have to wait for the weekend to go to the market and buying fresh organic products doesn’t cost much. In fact, it’s cheaper to buy it at the market than at grocery stores and most Italians go to the market every few days.

2. Many people in Italy also go the the local butcher every few days. That’s not exactly a thing in the States anymore (at least where I live). If you do go to a butcher here, it’s a lot more expensive.

3. “Snacks” in Italy are more so things like bruschetta on toasted bread and cheese with fruit. My significant other and I have discussed doing away with American snacks (which we can still buy on base) and eating more like the Italians in hopes of improving our health.

I can’t wait to share my food shopping and eating experiences via social media reels and blog posts!

While I’m still in the States I plan to keep using my Walmart + subscription for free grocery delivery which is a convenient way to stay on top of your healthy eating plans.

Transform Yourself

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned that I happen to be a social psychology PhD. I love research and today I’m giving you a research-based social psychology tip for living a better life.

Practice perspective-taking to enhance your relationships.

Perspective-taking—putting yourself in someone else’s shoes—can deepen empathy and improve communication. Research shows that when you make an effort to understand others' thoughts, feelings, and motivations, it reduces misunderstandings and builds stronger, more positive connections.

For example, if someone reacts negatively in a conversation, instead of assuming bad intentions, consider external factors they might be dealing with (e.g., stress, fatigue). This aligns with the fundamental attribution error, where we often attribute others' actions to their personality while overlooking situational influences.

Incorporate perspective-taking into daily interactions, and you'll likely experience greater harmony, mutual respect, and a more fulfilling social life.

Unwind With Book Time

Everand is my platform of choice for reading. Last week I listened to two suspense books by Freida McFadden and really liked them both.

The Wife Upstairs

Wow. The end of this book is wild. If you’ve read the book Layla by Colleen Hoover you’ll appreciate this book as well. They have some similarities but not enough to make you uninterested. A young woman with nothing to lose moves to a remote location to help care for a handsome man’s disabled wife and what she discovers while there will shock you.

Never Lie

This book has crazy plot twists. The whole time I had an idea about what the plot twist would be and I was so far off it was crazy. Exploring the twists and turns of a young psychiatrist’s life and navigating the current ‘situation’ of a young couple, this book keeps you guessing and is hard to put down. The narrator does a great job and I appreciated the variety of characters in the book.

Check out more of my favorite reads here.

Fit & Functional

I am beyond ready to make running one of the highlights of my life again. This week I will hit nearly 20 running miles and I am proud of myself. I would love to build back up to 30+ weekly miles. I have big plans for running an ultramarathon in Europe this fall so I’m going to make it happen!

If you have some running background and want to get back into it, check out my downloadable running plan for beginners located at the bottom of my running coach services page on my blog.

You can also reach out to me to get started on a customized running plan or for a consultation to see if running is right for you.

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