"it was great!" or "incredibly awesome" just don't cut it. so, if you want a more detailed depiction of my life abroad these past 3 months, then read on my friends. but i must warn you: this isn't the typical "good" response you were probably expecting to hear.
preface: once upon a time...
two years ago, my baby sis [Mary Ann] & i decided we wanted to study a semester in italy. for one, it was cheaper than a regular college semester in the states, & two, well, it's italy. so after much pleading with the parents, jumping through hoops & doing jigs in order to get the credits to transfer [not really, but Liberty, you sure do make things difficult] we finally got the ok to turn our dream into a reality. though it was cheaper than college here, we still had to raise a bit of money. this is what last summer consisted of:
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| playing substitute mom |
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| serving [and dancing with?] old folks at an assisted living home |
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| hi, erin! |
chapter 1: adjustments
fortunately, our hard work [& much appreciated support] paid off &, in february, we found ourselves amidst vineyards, bright colored houses, & 19 other americans thrown together on a tiny campus in a tiny town north of venice. what had we gotten ourselves into?!
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| oh, hey, vineyard |
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| new home, school, kitchen, etc etc. |
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| class 6 hours a day--with the same people. for 3 months. what... |
in italy, we attended Saints Bible Institute, which is also where we lived, ate, fought & danced. yep, it happened. over the course of 3 months, we took 18 credits of college classes, ranging from Renaissance Art to Apologetics, Intercultural Communication to Missions & Evangelism. designed as intensives, we typically got through one class per week. much of our time was devoted to homework, discussing what had just been crammed into our brains & taking naps during repozzo [in italy, they have designated nap times every afternoon. what college student doesn't love that?]
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| clearly no one else was up for a ride on the canal. and empty sidewalks? incredibly uncommon |
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| inside the Colosseum |
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| Trieste-- saw a castle, the Adriatic Sea & a Holocaust extermination camp |
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| Spilimbergo-- think Beauty & the Beast gone Italian |
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| Sacile-- known for the canals-some people kayak. we just sunbathed. |
aside from the fact that we lived in europe for three months [check that off the bucket list], we were able to visit two of the most talked about cities in the world: florence & rome. of course, it wasn't pure tourist fun; it was part of our art class, so we had to read a book on Brunelleschi's Dome, write papers, & give reports at specific places within the cities. but honestly, we were in florence. and rome. florence AND rome. does it get any better?
firenze:
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| Brunelleschi's dome over 400 hundred steps to the top, but the views were far worth it. |
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| saw our old pal, David [& other Michelangelo works that don't get an honorary mention] |
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| in Vatican city. that's St. Peter's. andddd we saw the pope [!!!!!] |
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| THE COLOSSEUM |
these were just some of the highlights. we also got to see the Vatican museum [the Sistine Chapel was inside as well], Roman ruins, the Trevi fountain, the Gates of Paradise, & of course, H&M.
chapter 4: spring break
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| roughin' it in the airport. somehow i jammed everything i needed for a week into my backpack |
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| one of few art pieces i actually recognized in the Louvre |
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| Mar's "we just went to mass in THE Notre Dame!" face [building on the left] |
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| cool, huh? |
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| tons of little dishes that we ate in about 10 minutes gotta keep up when eatin' with a bunch of guys |
chapter 5: favorites
one weekend, a group of us decided to visit salzburg, austria where the Sound of Music was filmed [yet another dream come true]. we took a night train [sorry, harry, we'll visit hogwarts another time], arrived at 4 am & sat in the freezing rain alongside the river until the sun rose--and cafes opened. sadly, the weather was cold & dreary but we made the best of it & explored the sweet little town.
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| umbrellas galore |
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| paid 15 euro to hang out with maria |
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| some of the SBI students & staff singing at the new church! |
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| pastries, cookies, meringues, tiramisu... heaven? |
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| chicken pasta with peas, onions, peppers, & pure goodness |
and i can't forget the gelato. one simply hasn't lived until they've tasted this stuff.
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| i ate gelato probably every day. sometimes more than once... |
chapter 6: BFFs
these three months went far too fast for my liking. not only did i get to see europe [i still can't get over it], but i met some of the most amazing people in my life. living in close quarters & being with each other nearly 24/7 definitely had its pros & cons, but i wouldn't have traded it for anything. it's hard to even describe how much each one of those people impacted my life & helped me see life in a completely new way. to my friends, my family:
abby: your genuine & cheerful personality & "oooh wooow!"s made my days so much brighter. thanks for sharing your closet with me!
christine: thanks for being real with me; your perseverance is inspiring. also, you make a great asian.
stacy t: your hugs & sweet smile always came at the right moments. i also appreciated your generosity when it came to buying me gelato.
stacy b: i love how serious you are about learning; it motivated me to strive to do better. also, your laugh is just great. don't stop.
kaylie: "ohhh honey" keep that accent forever, please. it makes your sarcastic remarks so much better. and for the record, you did not win the lady challenge!
erin c: we did it--all those cookies finally paid off. your logical, level-headedness is such a blessing. so are your passions for food & dance parties.
erin r: "one, two, three!" always a picture perfect moment with you. your optimism & "OH BOY!" have forever changed me. and your hiccups probably kept me awake in class. thanks for that.
laura: there are few people i have come across who have such a love for the Lord. keep on shining the way you do. p.s. seriously consider becoming a hairstylist.
susie: yeah, nutella & gelato kicked our butts. so did jillian. i loved getting to know your crazy side, as well as what you do & don't prefer...
kirsten: you never gave up. you're one strong girl & i know we all looked up to you. thanks for laughing at all the stupid things i said, too.
jessica: you are one sly, hilarious individual. tally marks, paparazzi photos, & youtube vidoes. i will never look at turtles the same.
sis: where to begin. you're the best friend & travel companion i could ever ask for. so blessed to have shared this journey with you. i'm glad we still love each other, even after paris.
caitlin: i don't know how you worked so hard & still managed to be so sweet. don't forget me, i hope to come visit you & your italian husband one day.
jen: i appreciate your thoughtfulness & desire to love on us. you rock that cute hat from h&m, and i'm glad you found it funny when i screamed "MOM!" in the rome train station.
bjorn: you have mad dj skills! your dubstep is cool, & we definitely would've gotten lost without your mastery of the barcelona train system.
jacob: jacobs, thanks for laughing, because it always made me laugh. you're a good listener & definitely made my semester so much more fun!
eric: what a gentleman & scholar. you really brought out the sarcasm in me [i apologize, but not really] but you made me think a lot too. i needed that.
jared: i can't believe you remembered all the theme songs from our childhoods. you're crazy & i had tons of fun reenacting lorna doone a thousand times. watch out for the butterfly in the sssKKYYY.
stuart: sometimes i pretended you were my big brother 'cause you're cool & a lot bigger than me. i hope you talk in an accent more often because it's hilarious. duggie for life!
tim: such unexpected things came from you but they definitely made the trip more surprising & fun. you're a great storyteller & i appreciate you eating my leftovers every morning at breakfast.
brett: thanks for staying positive even when we all made fun of you. you go with the flow & don't let things bother you--i'm jealous. p.s. i definitely screamed "'mericuh! eff yeah!" when we hit american soil.
sam: i enjoyed being one of your wives. you really know what you believe & aren't afraid to stand for it--something i admire. i hope my pokemon character serves you well.
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| believe me, this is considered normal |
epilogue: damage done
well, now what? after two years of dreaming, hoping & planning, my adventure has come to a close. i've been home for 2 weeks, but already i feel like italy never even happened; it was all just a frozen moment in time, a dream i didn't want to wake up from. yet i regretfully returned to reality & am forced to go on as i once did.
but i can't. italy changed me. i'm not who i used to be-- i've learned so much about the world, about people, about myself. three months away from america only confirmed my desire to live abroad [scotland is next on the list]. my mind was stretched beyond what i thought capable. i may have left italy with more questions than what i had arrived with, but i don't see this as a failure.
i admit it's hard being home, away from my friends, from the beautiful country of italy. i miss being with people all the time, the awkward language barrier when trying to make conversation, the excitement of experiencing a different culture & seeing things older than america itself. sometimes i get frustrated: why did i put myself through that knowing i'd fall in love with it all only to come home heartbroken? it seems i only lost.
but i didn't. i now have special memories that will forever remind me of sweet friends & unforgettable moments. it was a journey i can relive-- looking at pictures, staying in contact with people, eating gelato [i'm addicted for life]. all good things must come to an end at some point... but maybe, just maybe, this journey won't have to.
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| my camera, my memories: to be relived with the squinting of one eye & the shape of a rectangle. forever & always. |
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