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!