By Lily Frontero, Junior at UConn
I’ve always thought of my health and wellness being pretty simple- putting colorful foods into my body and staying active. With this mindset, I am energetic and happy which is my primary goal. This all changed when I returned four weeks ago from my study abroad experience in Perugia, Italy. While I was there, I realized I was missing a third part of health and well being- community.
To access my apartment in Perugia, I had to walk down an alley that had shops positioned from left to right in a zig-zag formation. At the top of the hill was the tea shop, then the pizza bakery, followed by “the vegetable guy,” the butcher, and lastly the wine and olive oil shop. Every morning walking up that alley to get to school, I watched the shop owners catch up about their night before, or simply laugh about something together. It became clear to me, they were all like family.
After my first day of classes, I went to “the vegetable guy,” and was very excited to learn he spoke English. I asked him if I would have trouble eating at a specific restaurant that night because I had a cow’s milk allergy. He assured me I wouldn’t have trouble. The next day I came down with a virus so I stayed in for a few days, but when I felt better, I went back to the “vegetable guy’s” store. When I walked in, he asked if I had been feeling better because one of my roommates had told him that I had been sick. It occurred to me that not only did he care about my well being after only being in his shop once, I did not even know his name yet. So I asked for his name and apologized for not knowing already. When I paid for my vegetables, he said his name was Alessandro.
The next day, my roommate and I went to the fish market to pick up salmon. On our way back to the apartment, we stopped in to get vegetables from Alessandro and as we entered the shop, he was popping open a bottle of prosecco. In a semi circle surrounding him, was every shop owner from our alley singing and cheering. While Alessandro was pouring his prosecco, he noticed my friend and I trying to not disturb his celebration and invited us to join the party. He offered everyone a piece of cake, except for me. He remembered my allergy and said “no cow’s milk for you,” while laughing. I’m still shocked when I think of how Alessandro, after only meeting me once, remembered my allergy, and so kindly made an effort to show me he cared. The butcher raised his glass for a happy birthday toast. As my friend and I raised our glasses to join and said “cin, cin!” with all the shop owners, my friend and I knew we were a part of something special.
The following week, I asked Alessandro how his birthday was, and he exclaimed “ha! I’m still drunk!” As I laughed, he told me to go look in the refrigerated glass case. He said, “All of those yogurts in there are goat’s milk with fruit and I thought you would like the cheese on the top shelf. They are all sheep’s milk.” I was overcome by his thoughtfulness. Alessandro, barely knowing me, knew when I was sick, remembered my allergy, and took time to order foods he knew I could enjoy. I grabbed cheese, yogurts, and a head of broccoli. As I went up to pay, I was amazed that even though he knew I would only be in Perugia temporarily, he cared for me as if I would live there and be one of his customers my whole life.
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, I had to come home from Perugia early. I was sad to be pulled out of the community I had been so thoughtfully welcomed into. Although my time there was technically cut short, it wasn’t too short to know that community is my third pillar of health and well being. When I arrived home and my parents put me in self-quarantine, I understood the importance now more than ever to stay healthy. Before going to Italy, I would’ve thought that staying healthy only meant eating well and staying active. I know now I need to create community even if it currently means simply waving to someone during my daily walks. I never wanted to travel outside Perugia when I was there because I loved my community. Similarly, quarantining with my family gives me the same feeling of gratitude. I have always been thankful for my community at home and appreciated how special mine was, but it wasn’t until now that I ever thought of my community as part of my overall health and wellness.
