What were you grateful for this week?
The sea!  

What was the most challenging part of this week?
Not being able to walk around Rome. 

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week.
Stayed with the kids longer than usual. 

Tell us about your week!
This was my last real week and my last check-in! I’ll be leaving to go back home on Friday. This has been quite the experience. I’ve learned a lot about myself and a lot about my relationships at home. I miss my friends and family a ton and embracing that homesickness just makes me that much more excited to see them. 

Having the opportunity to live in Italy for 3 months has been unreal. I’ve been able to practice my Italian a lot and I’m proud of myself for how much I’ve learned. I’m much more confident in my abilities to travel anywhere now, and I think I’ve learned some deep human truths here. Everywhere I have gone I have felt a full spectrum of emotion. I’ve experienced happiness in small moments and at big monuments. I’ve felt frustration and loneliness. I’ve felt deeply sad at times. I’ve felt breathless and relieved at odd times. And I’ve encountered people who have felt all the same things. Everyone I encounter has been through so much in their lifetime. They’ve felt the same deep heart ache that I have and the the same euphoric happiness. We are all humans having a human experience and that includes experiencing the full spectrum of emotions. 

Because of this program I have met some amazing people and made the most amazing friends that I’ll never forget. I am comfortable in my abilities to do absolutely anything. I know that no matter where you go, people are genuinely good. 

The earth is large and beautiful and a lot of that beauty is held in small details. 

 

Laughter among friends over coffee, buildings so old you feel the history when you look at them, odd moments between strangers, a train station early in the morning. It all holds a bit of wonder and magic. Who knew you could see so much in such little time.