The end?

Surprise! I am back in America and have been for over a week.  The last few days after my final exams flew by, but thankfully I had time to say goodbye to my temporary home in Florence and the wonderful people I met there.

Although talk of an "Abroad Bucket List" began in March, none of us managed to ever write anything down, so on our last full day we ran around everywhere to try and check-off as much as we could.  For my personal list, this included climbing the Duomo.  Bre and I woke up very early and set out to climb the 463 steps to the top.  When we arrived we were rewarded with an amazing view of the entire city.  I was told to wait until the end of my stay to do the climb, and I'm glad I did. It was an amazing sight!


For the rest of the day, Bre, Sara, Kristi and I wandered around Florence taking it all in one last time.  We walked down the Arno, rode the carousel in Piazza Republica (sort of), walked around the Boboli gardens, and took a lot of pictures.  For dinner we got pizzas to-go and had a picnic in Piazzale Michelangelo to watch the sunset.  We stayed there for a few hours, watching the sun disappear as the city lit up.

Once the day turned to night, it started to sink in that this journey was coming to an end.  This was especially clear when we got our last gelato.  The store owner Francesco came to know us well and gave us free gelato and free I <3 Gelato hats.  

Then it was time for our first real goodbye when Sara left Florence around midnight.  She was actually on my flight from Rome to Chicago the next day but had to take the train to Rome the night before. We definitely made a scene while we sat outside the train waiting for it to leave, and then ran after as it departed (We figured it was our last night to be "stupid Americans" in Italy). Later, we said the rest of our goodbyes and I departed for the airport around 4 am. By 5 am, the airport was swarming with American students heading home. I'm surprised the plane was able to take off with all the luggage it had to hold. Many hours later and off of no sleep, I arrived home. It was, of course, nice to see my family and sleep in my bed but I am already missing Europe. I will be returning as soon as I can!  

I wish there was some way I could show how being abroad changed me as a person, but I can't really describe it.  To be honest I am still figuring that out myself.  But after being back home it will start to show.  One thing is for sure though: these will not just be memories of a semester in college.  As corny as it sounds, the things I learned and the people I met will impact me for the rest of my life.  

The title of this post has a question mark because I'm not sure what comes next.  But this is the end for now.  Special thanks to my parents who let me study abroad in the first place, and thanks to everyone for following my story! Arrivederci e grazie a tutti!