The Last Day

It's 4:38.
In the morning.
A.M.

Normal humans aren't awake yet.
Even the sun isn't up.

Yet here I am, writing this blog post. My last post that I will write in Italy.
How did I get here? Didn't I just hop on a plane headed for Rome? Didn't I just start this crazy adventure?

The expression "time flies" definitely applies. I never saw myself at this day, the day I go home. It was always off in the future somewhere, somewhere intangible. Yet here it is.

My suitcase is packed, my duffel stuffed. The dishes are done and the floors are swept.
All that's left is to say my good-byes to my second home.

With my socks on, I only need to tie up my tennis shoes and I'll be out, walking the streets. Where will I walk? I don't know. Don't have a clue. I just want to walk, just one more time, through Rome.

Rome and my experience here have taught me so much. Every study abroad student insists the same thing, but really. It has.

This whole experience has allowed me to step back from my life in Maryland, to see myself from a different perspective. I had no idea how boxed in I was back home. Surrounded by the pressures of college, internships, and jobs I could barely breathe.

Here, in Italy, I have truly learned how to enjoy life and discovered what I want from my life: happiness. I was to smile, laugh, and love. God will take care of the rest, I just need to trust him. He got me here, so He'll definitely be able to get me the rest of the way. It's just a matter of trust.

But let me just take a second to say thank you.
Thank you to everyone back home who have supported me, Skyped me, Snapchatted me, and sent me that Facebook message. You all have made me feel so loved and I can't wait to see all of your faces!

Thank you to all my dearest study abroad friends here in Rome. I could not have imagined meeting so many absolutely incredible people. You all have made me laugh, smile, and you have inspired me with your stories. I cannot wait to stay in touch with you all and continue our adventures!

Thank you to Rome. Your people, your culture, and most definitely your food have become a second home to me. I will forever long for the water spots, the dogs in restaurants, the personal pizza, and the buildings.

But don't you worry, Rome. I'll be back.
This isn't a good-bye.

It's a see you later.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Week of Firsts

Image
When you study abroad, you tend to rack up some firsts:  FIRST time out of the United States. FIRST "Scusi, Scusi!" as the tram jolts to life and I stumble into an unsuspecting Italian woman. FIRST Italian pizza. FIRST gelato (of many). FIRST glass of Italian wine. FIRST Italian coffee . FIRST Sunday with Pope Francis. The typical and definitely delightful firsts are all there;  however, the unexpected ones nudged themselves into my week as well: FIRST  time  walking to school. FIRST  time  getting hopelessly lost..alone. FIRST  time  cooking  real  dinner (without a microwave). FIRST  orange. FIRST  time making an omelette. FIRST  time hanging  all  my clothes to dry.  FIRST  time using Face time .  Some of those are pretty ridiculous, I do admit. Yes, I haven't eaten an orange before (well technically since the golden days of kindergarten). No, I have only ever made scrambled eggs. When I look back on a day, a week, a month, or a year and realiz
Read more

The Land of My People

Image
When you think about studying abroad, especially in Europe, you start to make a mental wishlist of the places you want to see, the places you want to go.   I didn't have much expectations coming here except for good Italian food. I knew I wanted to travel, but where this semester would take me was up in the air.  Everywhere and anywhere was an adventure. But there was one place that I did dream of going, one place that seemed to be only a dream. Croatia .  As I looked up and booked my many adventures, Croatia was always on my mind. However, getting there was the problem. Planes didn't travel to Croatia until the summer. The only other option was by train and ferry, an expensive and arduous journey. Then, Bus2alps made it all happen. Bus2Alps is a traveling agency that caters to study abroad students, planning trips to hot destinations and events like Springfest and Carnivale in Venice.  As I began to lose hope of ever seeing Croatia, Bus2Alps had a day o
Read more

On to another adventure

Where did the time go? That's a common question getting asked these days, days like ... Graduation. Sometimes a Monday can feel like ages, a week like eternity. And then years just zip on by without a care in the world. *** I started this post at around 6:30 a.m. Now it's 3:30 p.m. and I'm graduated. Undergraduate no more. Do I feel different? How do I feel exactly? Well, the speech is done and over. There's relief there. There's a background sense of accomplishment, completing undergrad and all. Honestly, I mostly feel humbled and loved. Those that I care about took time out of their day (some, even their work day) to come and support me. Others have messaged me or will see me later tonight. I couldn't have done ANY of this without all of you. Thank you, thank you truly. This day is as much mine as it is yours.
Read more