This semester may not
have turned out the way I had hoped…so much so that I came home a semester
early! Now before I go on about every tiny thing I didn’t like about Italy this
time around let me lay a little disclaimer on you all (SOAR-propriate): it is
completely my fault that I didn’t like Bologna and that I didn’t push myself to
take advantage of opportunities to immerse myself fully.
That being said, the
claustrophobic Bolognese walls, béchamel-y lasagna, uninspired university
system, lack of green, over-bearing men, drugged freaks, conservative
prejudices and chill-lax way of life wasn’t exactly my thing. Not to mention
the exchange rate! My mantra of burning the candle at both ends, of occupying
every second of every day with something constructive didn’t exactly lend well
to the Italian “la Dolce Vita”. And while my friends were enjoying their new
free time, I was just going crazy. Once I decided to finish out only the
semester instead of the whole year, I lost my ambition to live my Bolognian
life to its fullest. It was then that my time abroad became something
temporary, short-lived that I just needed to get through.
But then I had more
money! Almost every weekend towards the end I left the terracotta rooftops of
Bologna for exotically new European cities like: Munich, Innsbruck, Madrid,
Seville, Cordoba, Brussels, Bruge, Krakow and Istanbul. (More blogging to come
on my European travels.)
My last two days in
Italy I spent in Rome visiting my host family from high school, the Liperas, and
our foreign exchange student, Brother Bear. It was during these two days that I
re-discovered my love for Italy and the reason I came in the first place: AFS. Right
when I got off the train in Rome the air seemed clearer, my mood changed and I
couldn’t keep myself from smiling ear to ear. My Dominican host sister Maria
Carla called as I was waiting for Papa’, when Papa’ arrived, a huge grin on his
face, I knew I was home (well…one of my homes J). We drove to the house and I was reunited with my
host mom, host brother and the rest of my extended host family. The next day I
spent with our exchange student from my freshman year of college, Francesco
(aka Brother Bear) and I had the pleasure of meeting his two best friends, mom
and brother. This is why AFS is such a beautiful organization, even though I
had never met the Chinese girl the Liperas had hosted two years before me or
Maria Carla’s mom and sister who came to visit for Christmas, there was this
strange and beautiful connection that we all had. I felt oddly comfortable with
them right away. It was exactly like meeting someone for the first time that
you’ve known your entire life. There is no doubt in my mind that AFS changed my
life. It gave me direction, helped me create who I am today and has opened
countless doors. Oh man! Someone book me
some AFS ad-time!
When I arrive in the
States I will be returning to bartending at the Nitty Gritty, interning for the
SOAR freshman orientation program, volunteering for Relay for Life,
participating in the BRIDGE international student organization, enjoying the
free SERF gym facilities and taking a full schedule of courses at UW. Let’s let that candle burn, alla
Americana!!
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