A Thank You I Never Got to Say...

Two days till I leave Roma. I can’t believe its over. There is so much I feel like I have accomplished and I am so proud of myself that I can say this. I feel like I really know the city and I have learned so much about Art History that I would have never learned by sitting in a classroom. This has been truly an invaluable experience. I constantly felt like I was learning and challenging myself.

I am excited to go back home because I miss my family and friends. I can't wait to be in the same time zone as them and not have to worry about calling at odd hours! I am not rushing to get home and leave Roma, because I truly love Roma for its beauty, but what is a city if you can’t fill it with those you love? For that, I love NYC.

I truly loved my study abroad experience. It was nothing like what I expected, it was difficult in the ways I never thought it would be and easier in others. I never thought I would make such great friends who I know will continue to be important people in my life. I thought this would be me exploring the city and bringing it back to share, except even better I got to explore it with people who are now like second family to me. They were there for me and I was for them, and they truly made my experience invaluable. Roma alone has the history and art that I will never forget and will always dream about, but my friends gave them the moments that I will always treasure. I can never look at Mary and Jesus without thinking of Ori’s impression of the baby giving the blessing, or climbing the Duomo and having a panic attack while my friends help (and laugh), or discussing our favorite flavors of gelato on the bus. It was so nice to be surrounded by people who cared about Art History the way I do.

This was a dream that I had one day in my Art History class fall of sophomore year and now it is ending after four months. Where do I go from here? What goal do I set next? I have no idea, that’s for me to figure out. But when I do, I will write it down and let you know. Until then, thank you for supporting me, for not deterring me even if you feared for my safety, to letting me fly and to figure out how to land by myself. For allowing my to open my eyes to the greatest views I have ever seen. For all that and so much more, I thank you.

A Triumphant Return

Ciao from the USA!!! It has been to long and I apologize, but I am back!

Unfortunately my computer did not handle the flight home particularly well, perhaps it was also not ready to come home, and I woke up the day after my return to find that my hard drive had crashed. Confused, overwhelmed, and still in denial I was home I looked at the blue screen that said, "system fatal error" and thought to myself this is not the welcome home I had planned. A part of me took it as a sign that I must go back, but as all my memories seemed to be flashing before me as I scrambled to figure out how I was going to get my priceless photos. Thanks to the wonderful people at the Data Recovery Labs, I managed to save ALL my photos (which is probably over 4,000) and documents. PHEW. I still have not received them which have my in the moment thoughts about the end of my experience. I will wait to comment on the end, but until then, I do have some thoughts I would like to share.

My goal now is to incorporate my favorite aspects of Italian lifestyle into my everyday life. Whether it is saying Ciao to my friends or cooking pasta with olive oil I brought home from Roma, I am trying to make a conscious effort to still have a connection. Perhaps my biggest investment has been the purchase of an espresso maker. I now have an espresso maker, milk frother, espresso cups, and am looking to purchase cappuccino cups. Today, I am going to try to make my first espresso! I am excited because one of my favorite parts of the day was taking a few minutes with a friend and having an espresso at the local Tabacchi. For now, I find myself reminiscent about my strolls around Monte Verde and Trastevere, the local supermarket, my favorite gelateria. Sometimes, I even wonder if Roma was a dream, but then I look at the pictures that were saved and I know, that I was there, that I came, saw, and conquered....and I wonder in what context I will do it again!