[title subtitle=”WORDS Words Liesel Schmidt
IMAGES courtesy Evan Kohler”][/title]
There’s something profound that happens when you’re taken out of the familiar, away from the people and places and things you know. You either retreat or you forge ahead; you give into your fear, or you rise to the challenge. For those with an adventurous spirit, these are the moments that excite, the moments that feed the soul and make it come more alive. Every unknown, every element of the unfamiliar, is something to be explored and studied, to be appreciated and savored.
For nineteen-year-old Evan Kohler, tapping into that adventurous spirit began with a trans-Atlantic flight that took her from her hometown of Fort Smith, Arkansas, to Milan, Italy, landing her smack in the middle of a city known for its domination of the fashion world, in a country famed for its pizza, pasta, and endless stretches of picturesque landscapes that seem almost unreal. As Americans, we “know” what we know from movies, from books and television programs that explore nothing but the surface. It seems such a romantic place, a fairy-tale land where everyone is always happy. A land filled with good food and wine and falling in love in cities hailed for the magnificence of their ancient architecture and their contribution to history. And while that might be partially true, it’s not the everyday.
The everyday is a balance of pleasure and responsibility. It’s the duties we face of earning a livelihood and raising our families; of going to school and growing up; of running errands and checking off tasks. It’s the moments of joy and happiness that make every struggle worth facing, the little things that seem so simple in the grand scheme of things but that keep us going. There’s tedium and excitement—sometimes in equal measure, sometimes not. But that’sthe everyday, no matter where on the planet you live. Those are the commonalities we share, regardless of age or race or culture. Those are the unifying things that give us ground on which to build, but there’s so much more that influenceshowand whywe do those things, each of those reasons and methods unique to not only us as individuals, but us as citizens of our respective corners of the world.
Coming to that understanding was, perhaps, one of the greatest lessons that Evan could have learned, stepping off that plane as an all-American girl who’d never ventured out of the country. At the time, the seventeen-year-old high school student was expecting the stereotype. What she got left her literally searching for words and an eye-opening year-long experience that taught her that life in Italy—while in many ways the same as what she knew in her own life back in the States—was so different from anything she’d expected and something that she’d never forget.
“Coming off of the plane at the Malpensa Airport in Milan, I was expectant of promising travels and vast amounts of spaghetti and pizza—all the typical things we picture about Italy as Americans,” says Evan, whose year abroad as an exchange student was part of a Rotary Club-sponsored program designed to give students an opportunity to immerse themselves in a host country’s culture and to optimize the language. “I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and I had no idea what anyone was saying to me those first few days! Add to that the fact that no one had really told me what to expect, so during the first few months, I was thrown into a whirlwind of culture shock. Fortunately for me, I had this beautiful family who had so graciously given me a room with the utmost Italian hospitality, but I had no idea how to thank them or to even say goodnight,” she goes on.
For some, a language barrier is extremely intimidating, a reason to stay silent and feel like an outsider. But for Evan, her host family worked with her to help her learn and to feel welcome, giving her the encouragement she needed to explore and embrace her new surroundings with a level of daring that she might never have realized she had without the impetus of being in a new country on her own, without the safety net of her family.
“Sitting at the table for dinner, my host father would just point to different foods and objects, telling me the name of each thing. The first few months of immersion were difficult; but once I had broken that barrier, the opportunities were endless. I began to make so many exchange student friends from all over the world, and I still keep up and sometimes even travel with them to this day. It was comforting knowing that, while I struggled to figure out the ins and outs of life in Europe, they were right there with me,” Evan continues. Over the course of her year in Italy, she and her friends traveled to thirteen different countries together, making the most of the fact that so many other countries were all now within manageable distance. When she wasn’t traveling, she loved to explore Milan—an easy thirty-minute trip on the train from the small town of Bovisio-Masciago, where she was living—to spend time at Parco Sempione and visit the Duomo di Milano, a famous Italian cathedral in the center of the city.
Naturally, there were certain things she fell in love with, being in a country where so much of the Old World is still present even as much of the new has crept in. And as she explored and became more immersed in the normalcy of Italian life with her hosts, she learned their ways and became a part of their family. “My host mother, Alessia, and I, cooked once a week together. She taught me how to make the most beautiful dishes and pastries. We would set up the table, and it seemed like the whole neighborhood would come to taste anything she made before it was gone,” Evan recalls with a laugh. “I came to love my host parents and siblings like I loved my own back home, and Alessia and I had a special bond. That began even when we couldn’t understand each other.”
Wanting to keep everyone at home up-to-date on what was going on during her year abroad, Evan kept a blog that her family could read, giving them—and herself—a way to stay connected. Through it all, she had the support of her family, which gave her a great source of strength to get through any challenges she faced. “I couldn’t have achieved anything without my family, who are all so selfless and kind,” she says. “Despite the seven-hour time difference, my parents never failed to answer my calls or be there for me in a time of need; and my sister was my main supporter. Even from thousands of miles away, she reminded me why I was doing what I was.”
Evan learned a great deal during her year in Italy—not simply about the country and the culture, but about herself. “Since I was young, my grandma always told me that the possibilities for my life are endless. I’m glad that I started to believe her. Once I started to believe in myself, I knew that I could achieve anything I put my mind to. The confidence I gained overseas helped make that possible.”
So, too, did the choice she made after coming back to the States, a choice that she might never have made, had it not been for her time in the exchange program. “Once I came home, reverse culture shock hit hard,” she recalls. “Every exchange student warns you of the emotional and physical distress you experience when you return home after living overseas for a long period of time, and I definitely experienced it. My biggest challenge was returning to school and seeing how much everything had changed. As I started looking towards my long-term goals, the promised paid tuition and guaranteed employment from the Arkansas Air National Guard became more and more appealing. Ultimately, I made the choice to enlist, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Now having graduated high school and fully focused on the path she’s planning for her career, Evan is currently stationed at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas. “I plan on staying in for at least twenty years,” she says. “I’m so eager to see the advances in technology for air power, and I hope to get my degree and commission to become an RPA pilot.”
With her newfound confidence and her family support guiding her, the future is, indeed, filled with endless possibility. Her goals are set—and her dreams are getting ready to take flight.
