Emme and I woke up before 6am. We both had our routine of going to the bathroom and then breakfast. However, today was different. We just grabbed our bag of pastries to go, made sure that our room was clean, and headed out. Right there and then, I felt like I showed a bit of the American attitude of multi-tasking... yet I still paused for a while and realized that I was still in Italy. I used the elevator for the final time. I met up with the other girls at the front of the dorm, and just around 7am, our mini bus to Marco Polo, Venice Airport arrived (we paid €20 each, thanks to Señora Janet's husband). I hugged Señora Janet and said thanks. She also appreciated the personalized bookmark that I gave her yesterday. I hugged the rest of the girls, who were staying for a couple more hours. However, I could not see Je anywhere. I called out his name for the last time but no answer. Just before I got in the bus, he suddenly showed up with Nick, his roomie. I hugged Je, and he got into the bus to hug everyone that was already inside. We finally left Vicenza and took the Italian highway to the airport. 7 others and I in the shuttle were all quiet... Heads turned to the left and the right, while taking in the view of the Italian countryside. It was bittersweet indeed. It finally hit me that we're leaving Italy...
I'm so glad to have emerged myself into another culture that's rich in its history, art, food, and of course, the beautiful Italian people. I learned to relax, go with the flow, and not stress too much on one thing, which I will bring back to the states.
"We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are." - Mark Depree
Surely, I will not forget the memories created with my new-found friends: Je, Emme, Lenda, Helen, Maylena, Heidi, Yen, Anu, Chris, Nick, Tammy, Mandana, Sarah, Tolle, Kristen, Kiarra, and Lola. I enjoyed our late-night singing and dancing sessions as well as our mini potlucks. Amongst our cooking sessions, Emme and I frequently made bruschetta with sliced, fresh mozzarella balls (bochaccini), butter, red cherry tomatoes, Italian salami, and lastly, pesto for each other.. We also experimented with various pastas (stuffed with asparagus and mushrooms) and different flavors such as adding sage with butter and tomato sauce as well as some Ricotta cheese... We even got creative one time, as we toasted regular Italian wheat bread, spread some fig jam, and added the Italian small cherries... We will definitely have reunions!
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| [Last Day at Vicenza, Italy. Pic by Je] |
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[Group Pic in Barga, Italy]
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About a year from now, I would like to look back and say, yes, I lived the Italian way- enjoyed every moment, took each obstacle a day at a time, and experienced as well as appreciated God's gift of life and love with the special people in my life. La bela vita!
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