It's been one week since I arrived back in the United States (I'm avoiding calling it home because of all the homes I now have). It's been a tricky adjustment, especially when the seminarian at my parish announced he was leaving this week for Rome to continue his studies. Cue the tears.
Before our last weekend in Rome began, the JFRC hosted a banquet for all the students and teachers. It was a blast seeing everyone together in one place all dressed up!
The whole weekend was pretty chill considering everyone had finals to study for. Barb and I did manage to take a quick walk through Balduina and hike to the lookout point.
With the arrival of Tuesday afternoon, I was completely finished with finals! And that evening, Fr. Al hosted the last campus ministry dinner near the Vatican. It was really fun to be with so many people I had gotten to know throughout the semester.
After sleeping in Wednesday, Barb and I ventured out on our last free Wednesday together. We visited a local restaurant in Balduina, eating some fabulous spaghetti with some of the best tomatoes ever.
Next, we headed over towards the Via del Corso to do a little last minute shopping and get one last look at the azalea-filled Spanish Steps.
That night, my friends and I went out one last time and had a blast!
Thursday was our last full day in Rome. I started out the morning by visiting the local Petit Cafe and enjoying my last Italian cappuccino. After a brief meeting with my English class, Tori, Barb, and I headed off towards Trastevere. Since it was a national holiday, the buses weren't running, so we had to walk. It was actually my first time walking all the way down towards the Vatican; it all seemed planned!
In Trastevere, we milled around the quaint streets and enjoyed some gelato from Fior di Luna, Barb's favorite. After sitting in the Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere, we headed back towards campus (luckily the buses were running again) to meet up with Katie, Audra, and Nikki.
Our first stop for the evening was our favorite pizza place where we always went after weekly calcio games. Like always, the pizza was delicious.
We grabbed the metro one last time to Coloseo. We sat and enjoyed the beautifully lit Coloseum one last time.
From there, we walked towards the Victor Emmanuel monument, which was stunning against the black night sky.
Next we visited my favorite gelateria, Giolitti, and had some gelato in front of the Pantheon. We even said a quick hello (and goodbye) to our server from our first night in Rome at a restaurant in the square!
The Trevi Fountain was next. We all tossed another coin in, adding to the ones from our first night in Rome. We even saw a few other Loyola girls and witnessed a proposal!
We walked through Piazza Navona on our way towards the Tiber. It was beautiful at night as well.
We crossed the river at the Ponte Sant'Angelo, seeing the Castle Sant'Angelo in all its beauty.
The last monument we saw was, of course, the Vatican. It was fitting that it was the first monument we saw in Rome on our first night. It's a sight that never gets old.
To top off the night, we shared some vino at the lookout point, enjoying the dimly-lit city and stars dotting the sky.
Then commenced the goodbyes. We made it back to campus just in time for Katie to catch her 3:30am cab to the airport. It was a tough goodbye since Katie and I had stuck together since our layover to Rome in London.
After some frantic last minute packing, it was time to say goodbye to the JFRC. Luckily, I was on the bus with about 100 other students, so it was hectic enough to prevent me from losing it. I said goodbye to my SLAs and friends who were sticking around for either a few more hours or days in Europe.
Once the bus made it to the airport, I had to say goodbye to my closest friends before making my way to another terminal. I really hate goodbyes (I like to think of them as "see you later"s). Before I knew it, I was through security and waiting for my flight. But not before a fellow JForcer got the autograph of Steve McQueen, director of "12 Years a Slave," with my pen!
I happened to sit next to a girl on my flight to Chicago who had also been studying abroad in Rome, but through a different program. We talked for a while, reminiscing about our favorite spots downtown and how much we would miss gelato. Then I'm pretty sure I knocked out for the remainder of the flight.
I finally made it to Dallas after my layover in Chicago, and was so glad to be greeted by the smiling faces of my parents. After the car ride home, I gave everyone the gifts I had brought back for them. It was all so surreal and suddenly felt like months had passed between leaving Rome and my arrival in Dallas. It's still tough to think that a week ago, I was in Rome, enjoying my last memories with lifelong friends.
***
This past week, I've really been reflecting on my experience and what it means to study abroad. It's not just a break from tough classes or a chance to party throughout Europe. It's the chance to experience a new culture, to understand how people in other places live. It opens your eyes to life beyond America. You learn to value different things and realize what's really important about life. You grow as a person. It's easy to come into the experience with a narrow perspective, but it's practically guaranteed that you'll leave with a broader outlook in general.
I never thought I would jet off to a foreign country alone, but I did.
I never thought I'd enjoy the taste of espresso, but I do (and can never go back to plain coffee).
I never thought I could eat pasta for every meal, but I did.
I never thought I'd enjoy eating a meal for three hours, but I do.
I never thought I'd go skiing in the Alps, but I did.
I never thought I'd become accustomed to staying in hostels with strangers, but I did.
I never thought I'd jump off some rocks into the Mediterranean Sea, but I did.
I never thought I'd experience so many different cultures, but I did and I loved every minute of it.
I never thought I'd return to America with the best group of new friends, but I did, I definitely did.
I think Eleanor Roosevelt put it best when she said, "The purpose of life is to live it, to taste it, to experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."
So here's to Rome, new friends, and the coin in the Trevi that will bring me back one day.
Arrivederci,
Gina
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