The Land of My People

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 of discounts for all their trips. As I perused the many trips, a Croatia trip suddenly popped up on my screen.

 It was possible. 

With the trip booked, I was all set. I had even convinced some of my friends to join me on the 17 hour bus ride to Croatia. All that was left was for the day to come (I had booked it in February).

After a short semester, the day came. Last Thursday we embarked on the long bus ride to Croatia. 

When we arrived, all I could think about was getting off that bus. Getting off that bus and into the fresh air. It didn't hit me until we were almost to our hostel that I was in Croatia. Croatia. The country were half of my family is from. What?!?! 

Our first move was food. The hostel offered a free breakfast and there was no way we could pass that up. Then, with food in our bellies, we headed off to the beach. No, it wasn't sunny and yes it looked like rain. But we were in Croatia goshdarnit and to the beach we went. 

After we found the beach, the sun poked its head out for a couple brief moments, allowing me to read and nap to the sound of the water lapping up. 

But then, impending doom was upon us and we hurried back to try and beat the rain. 

Once we had napped (the long bus ride really hit us once we returned to the hostel) we adventured out into Split before dinner. We ventured down this alley and then the next, going wherever our heart told us told us to. The town was full of little shops and delights tucked into its niches. 

The next day was the island tour to Brač. Even as I slid across the stone streets in the rain on our way to the boat, I couldn't help but be filled with excitement.  My great-grandfather and his wife both grew up on Brač. His original last name was Medi and hers was Domič. I could just picture myself wandering into a church to find their names in the church books. 

While I didn't see their names anywhere, it was incredible to just know that they may have walked where I walked. We stopped at two different towns on the island, both times were spent walking around and acquainting ourselves with the island. It was truly wonderful. It was rainy, cold, and windy. But the deep turquoise water, the quaint towns, and the lingering presence of my ancestors made it so worth it. 

That night in Trogir, another city in Croatia,  I had some of the best seafood of my life: grilled squid. No, not fried. Grilled. So beautiful. 

The next day, we lugged our duffel bags and suitcases back on the bus to head home. On our way out of Croatia we stopped at a magical place of waterfalls called Krka National Park. We followed our guide along a wooden path that ran over gushing rivers of water that ran right under the wooden planks. The bright green of the forests and the crisp air filled with the noise of rushing water tingled my senses. 

Again, it was freezing, absolutely freezing. In all my layers I shivered. But the waterfalls and the natural beauty that surrounded me were completely and totally worth it. 

After this last stop, off we went on the 18-hour bus ride back to Rome. I stayed awake as long as I could because even though the ride was long, it was beautiful. Before the sun set, my eyes were glued to the windows. Well, that is until the rhythm of the bus put me to sleep. 

But Croatia!! I was in Croatia. Walking to school today, it felt like it was only a dream. But the pictures beg to differ. 

I was most definitely there...in the land of my people.