In January 2019 I began my expat journey and made Rome my new home away from home. Being American and an advocate for personal networking, I was fortunate enough to connect with a vast group of fellow Americans and other internationals upon arrival, many of whom have developed into great relationships.

Here in Rome, I have friends. I love my friends, but after a few moments, I realized I didn’t really have Italian friends. I was living in Rome, the capital of Italy, the center of the world, one would say. I was surrounded by Italians every single day, in my building, at the park, on the bus, at the bar, and yet I didn’t have friendships with Italians.