Adventures in Italia!

Creation...

Mon, 02 May 2011 09:02:21 -0400

I’ve started another blog, which will be given substance upon my return to the states… I’d love for you to follow me, if it pleases you so… :)

Beyond Comprehension...

Mon, 02 May 2011 08:56:29 -0400

Today begins my last full week in Viterbo… I’m in shock. This has been such an amazing experience and I can’t express how thankful I am for this opportunity! I have 8 days left to attempt to soak up every last bit of Italy that I can… I’m finding myself a little terrified. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so excited to come home and share my journey with others, hug my friends and family, and most of all, cuddle with my love, but the time I’ve spent in this marvelous place has been such a blessing… and has come to an end quite possibly too soon.

When I ponder on this thought, I justify the yearning with God’s plan for me to return. He wanted to give me a little taste of the beauty beyond my circle of comfort, so that I would develop a craving for such great wanderings. I will return to Italy one day… Obviously I’m not sure when, but one day…

I dream of being able to reveal parts of my pilgrimage to my children and maybe even my grandchildren… Scavenging through my memory box, pulling out train tickets, pages of my planner, my highly technical TIM cell phone, etc… and eventually, possibly loading them on a plane and taking them to this magnificent place… this place where I found and developed my appreciation for life, this place where I gained control of my being, this place which brought me boundless joy and affection for the ability to be alive.

8 days…

Sunset in Santorini… Photo by Chelsea Beights

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 10:20:00 -0400

Sunset in Santorini…

Photo by Chelsea Beights

Oia, Santorini Photo by Chelsea Beights

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 02:02:00 -0400

Oia, Santorini

Photo by Chelsea Beights

One Month Left...

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 05:23:00 -0400

Tomorrow, April 12th- Register for Fall Classes…

Thursday, April 14th- Take train to Roma & sleep in the airport.

Friday, April 15th- Flight to Athens, Greece (6 am!)

Sunday, April 17th- Ferry to Santorini, Greece (8 hours long… oy.)

Friday, April 22nd- Ferry back to Athens… Sleep in the airport.

Saturday, April 23rd- Flight home to Italia.

Monday, April 25th- NO SCHOOL… Easter Games with Christina & the Gang.

Friday, April 29th- Trip to Capalbio (Mediterranean Coast)

Thursday, May 5th- Ecology & Art History Finals… (Anxiety)

Monday, May 9th- Society & Culture Final + Paper Due

Tuesday, May 10th- Final Studio Art Review… 3 PM- Leave Viterbo :( Flight from Roma to London… Sleep in airport… (12 hour layover)

Wednesday, May 11th- Flight from London to SF

2:20… Reunited with my wonderful boyfriend! <3

I’m starting to experience anxiety about leaving Italy… Obviously I want to go home and see my family and friends, but in the course of a few months, Italy has changed my life and I know that it is going to be extremely difficult to leave all of these amazing people that have been apart of this journey. I can only hope that we will be able to keep in touch and nurture life-long friendships. Now… it’s time to make these last 30 days count! Greece in 4 days!!! :)

Contemplation

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 07:37:00 -0400

Some individuals listen to music with their attention purely on the sound streaming from the instruments, others focus on tempo and rhythm, and still others on the mere relation to trend. Then there are those who identify with my personal voyage of meditating on the lyrics, the particular flow of words which were placed in their distinct order, by the artist, as a definition of their purpose.

This morning, I listened to my iTunes library on shuffle and came across a song I have paid little attention to the last few months… ‘Lull’ by Andrew Bird. A particular thread of lyrics plucked each and every string of the harp I like to call my heart.

“I’m all for moderation, but sometimes it seems… Moderation itself is a common extreme…”

I’ve been digesting the thought of finding my balance, the self-proclaimed theory that balance is the key to an anxious-free and positively beneficial life. Then the universe throws me this curve ball… something to contemplate. Grappling the temptations of both extremes, with the intention of finding a middle ground, but for what? In the past, I would have an easy answer, to find the balance, but now I’ve become unsure of the legitimacy of this goal. If I’ve learned one thing from the Italians, it is to fully enjoy every second of life… Taking this into consideration, I have began to form a new theory, it’s possible that the way of living is to soak up every moment you have on this magnificent planet, whether balanced or imbalanced, take pleasure in your ability to breathe, walk, smile, and most importantly, love.

I guess I should just say it now...

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 08:16:13 -0400

As usual, Dad, you were right. I am finally noticing the nourishment that this journey has supplied… My mind, spirit, and soul are flourishing beyond what I could have ever expected and my physical appearance has seemed to follow in suit. Even though my emotional state seems to teeter quite easily with issues of homesickness and the like, at this very moment, I am content with my life… I love who I am and who I am becoming.

Markets in Viterbo

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:43:59 -0400

I realized I haven’t filled you in on where you purchase food here…

There is one… maybe two, larger sized grocery stores (comparable to WinCo or Safeway) that I know of, but they are both located outside of the walls and the pain of hiking home outweighs the semi-lower price of food items. Ashlee and I do all of our food shopping at little markets around town… which are usually the size of the Naked Lounge. Every market has a little butcher counter with fresh meats and cheeses… oh and I can’t forget the fresh baguettes, that have just been pulled from the forno, ah, so warm. :)

Now, as I’ve mentioned before, the Italians have an immense amount of trust… it’s almost unbelievable how trusting these people are. This applies to the markets around town as well, and I just got my first taste of it this afternoon. Once, when Ash and I were at the single check out in our favorite market, I had noticed the Italian before us pay more than the total and simply left with her things… no change. But right after the exchange, the cashier brought out a small notepad that had names of Italians and numbers to the side, she proceeded to cross of one of the lines and I was extremely puzzled… then I saw a euro sign next to the numbers. Put two and two together… If they don’t have enough money on them, the cashier writes down their name and how much they owe and they pay later!!! What a strange concept!!!

Well this afternoon, I grabbed a 10 out of my wallet and meandered down to the market on our street to buy some butter, cheese, and water. When I got there, I added a few things to my list and the total came to be 12,60 euro. I then panicked a little and told him I could put the 6-pack of water back and just get 2 bottles and he said “No, no, no! Va bene! Portimi 2,60 domani o venerdì…” (No, no, no! It’s okay! Bring me 2,60 tomorrow or friday…) WHAT?! I couldn’t believe it was really happening… I knew they did this, but I thought it was only with locals, not Americans like myself. When I looked at him and asked “are you sure??”, he responded with something to the effect of “They don’t do this in America, but yes, just bring it to me later…” I can’t believe it, I’m still in shock. How strange and totally awesome…

Hanging out in the garden of Ruspoli’s Castle in...

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 07:07:38 -0400

Hanging out in the garden of Ruspoli’s Castle in Vignanello…

Firenze.

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 15:48:00 -0400

Well a couple weekends ago, Ashlee, Katelyn, and I spent a weekend in beautiful Florence. I sort of scoffed at people’s comments when they said “I left my heart in Firenze”, but that was an ignorant move on my part. The city swept me off my feet and cuddled me in its arms, something resembling what Shane did a year ago… But I am now pleased to say, I concur with the cliche statement, a little piece of my heart is wandering somewhere in that lovely city.

When we arrived on Friday, it was too early to check in to our hostel, so we unloaded our luggage and took off into town. We walked through the blocks upon blocks of vendors, who line the street and catch you off guard by saying, ‘Hello beautiful, how are you?’, in English… Of course, all they want is to sell you something and so the normal response is to ignore them, but when you refuse to pay attention, they will attempt to guilt trip you into speaking to them, ‘You’re so lovely, but you won’t talk to me…’ or ‘I try to talk to you, but you no talk to me…’ and the ridiculous, ‘I love you, but you no love me back…’ It was rather exhausting walking through this crowd, but it was an experience I will always remember. We then found a place to eat lunch near the Duomo… YUM. I had the traditional Carbonara Spaghetti and I thought I was in heaven. It was so warm and creamy and spiced to perfection!

After lunch, we walked around the infamous Cathedral and marveled at Brunelleschi’s Dome! I cannot justify with words how amazing the architecture of this building is… you’ll just have to visit Florence and find out for yourself. :) We then proceeded to cross the Arno River and climbed what seemed like a million stairs until we finally stepped foot in the breathtaking Palazzo Michelangelo. As you’ll see in the photos below, this is the BEST view of the city. We sat here for a bit, just taking in all of the wonders before us… what a magnificent moment.

The next day, the girls took a bus to Siena for a small day trip, since they had already been to Florence and done the big touristy things. I took a stroll down random streets, people watching, and enjoying myself. I then went to the Galleria dell’accademia… this is where Michelangelo’s original David is kept. The sculpture is perfection in way of how it makes the viewer feel. The proportions are a bit off because it was created as a piece for roof installation, but the musculature and movement in the body makes him come alive. I just sat in awe on a bench to the side of him… I was and still am astonished by the skill of Michelangelo.

After my visit at the Accademia, I scoured the streets looking for a quaint restaurant where I could enjoy a sit down lunch. I came upon this small place near the Uffizzi that looked inviting… the prices looked inviting, too! I entered this small place to find tables packed and servers running wild… ‘Tavola per uno?’ ‘Si!’ And there I was, in a restaurant packed with Italians, feeling confident in this new city, in this still semi-new country, ready to take on anything that was thrown at me. I also ordered a cappuccino after my calzone… I’m slowly picking up their culture! Feeling completely stuffed, but ready for adventure, I got up and paid the bill and proceed out the door to find my way to the entrance queue for the Uffizzi. I’m going to sort of skip over this museum because I was less than thrilled with what I saw and I feel like they owe me the 2 hours I waited in line to enter. Many of the exhibits were either under restoration or moving to another city, which left me bitter.

The girls had called me when I was waiting in line and told me they were heading back, so when I exited the museum, I swiftly walked back to the hostel and waited. As I recall, my stomach was a bit upset, so it was nice to have a chance to lie down for an hour or so… We went to dinner at a nicer restaurant located near Ponte Vecchio. It was here that I realized I have two of the greatest people as my closest friends. I am so thankful that I came to Italy and was randomly placed with Ashlee as a roommate and on top of that, that she had made friends with Katelyn at the airport and we were brought together to enjoy this incredible experience together.

The next day, we walked around for a bit, but quickly decided it was time to catch the train home to Viterbo. It was pouring rain and none of us had anything we wanted to do, so we caught the train home. We had to switch trains at Attigliano, but since it was a Sunday, most of the trains weren’t running and we had to wait for 4 hours or so for our train home… It was quite the ordeal, but it was worth it for a weekend in Firenze with my great friends.

For some reason, I have been lacking in the photo department… I had this idea about needing to experience more without the obstruction of a lens and it seems that it has hindered my photographic memory collection quite a bit. I’m attempting to get out of the funk, but here are some shots I took while in Florence.

Photos by Chelsea Beights

A short film of Firenze. Enjoy :)

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 17:49:10 -0400

A short film of Firenze. Enjoy :)

Venezia

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 08:51:00 -0500

This past weekend, a big group of students from my program took a private bus up to Venice for the weekend. The majority of the group, including my friends and I, stayed at Camping Rialto, which was only a 10 minute bus ride away from the main stop in Venice. The tents consisted of a tent cover, a raised plywood platform floor, and two small cots. The legs of the cots were literally less than an inch away from the edge of the floor board and kept slipping off and cascading down to the mud below… quite exciting I must say. On the second night, my cot broke completely and I ended up sleeping on the floor.

The city was… beautiful (as you will see in the photos below). I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of walking down streets wide as a front door, climbing up and over bridges that crossed the turquoise water ways, and taking in all the festive garb, glitter, and glam. Venice is truly the fantasy city of Italy. It seemed like such a dream world and I’m so thankful I got to visit this illustrious place. :)

Photos by Chelsea Beights

Sense

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 08:58:00 -0500

It is currently cloudy in Viterbo and once in a while, the clouds will decide to let out a little shower. The cold weather is… uncomfortable. When it’s cold, I have to layer up until I resemble a snow-woman and as soon as I cross the threshold of the classroom, I have to strip like I’m in Coyote Ugly. Alright, that was an exaggeration, but usually the heat is turned up extremely high and I start to perspire the minute I take a seat, so in order to remain semi-dry during class, I need to remove the jacket, cardigan (sometimes multiple), scarf, and gloves. Why do I even put them on in the first place? Oy.Then there’s the shoe situation… I don’t think I’ve mentioned the ‘shoe situation’, so I’ll take the time to explain it now.

When I first got here, I had 2 pairs of TOMS, both decently worn, a pair of running shoes, my Birkenstocks, and 2 other pairs of sandals… I’m a sandals kind of girl. Within the first week of being here, both pairs of TOMS were ripped to shreds. I’m not exaggerating about this one. There were holes in the toes and heels, the fabric was dragging on the ground, the soles were ripped of any traction they had had… it was an unfavorable situation. So I ended up throwing both pairs away. I had gotten my monies worth. Then it seemed appropriate to attempt to find another pair of close-toed shoes that were semi-fashionable and on the less expensive side. I found a pair of cute shoes for 18 euro… the price should have told me I was going to have an interesting experience. Two weeks after I had purchased them, the rubber sole started detaching from the rest of the shoe… I also decided to wear them without socks on one of my day trips and they began to stick to high heaven! I have never, ever smelt something so rancid… Shane’s feet don’t even smell this bad after a long day at work. I was completely repulsed. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any other cute close-toes shoes to wear, so I kept wearing them. Then I went out on a mission to find black leather boots without a heel… well, I guess Italian women don’t have big feet. I could not find one pair of quality flat leather boots in a size 41. It was beyond irritating… I could never explain how irritating it was, so I’m not even going to attempt it.

Thankfully, I went into this store on the main shopping street and found some cute sneakers… only problem, they were about 65 euros. I did not want to drop that much money on a pair of sneakers! I looked around the store a little more and to my surprise, I found a really adorable pair of suede flats!! Plus, they were only 25 euros!! I decided to give them a shot and try them on… what do ya know, it was just like Cinderella and her glass slipper! I purchased them and have worn them a few times so far, including during our trip to Roma on Sunday. They’re very comfortable and don’t stick one bit and haven’t shown any signs of mutilation yet. (Fingers crossed) Here’s a low quality photo of the new shoes…

Now, however, I face a difficult problem… as I mentioned, the new shoes are suede and as I said before that, it has been cold and stormy here in Viterbo. Suede + rain = DISASTER, so I’ve been trying my hardest to stay away from that equation. Luckily, I purchased a pair of leather boots a few weeks after being here. They are also very cute, but they have a little bit of a heel, which makes walking uphill and downhill on rocky cobblestone rather difficult. Phew, what these Italians go through to look fashionable.

On a school related note, I had my first test today in Society and Culture of Renaissance Italy. I think it went well… It was an open book, short essay test, but most of the questions had similar answers, so I felt like I was repeating myself quite often. We’ll see how I did on Monday… I also had a test, if you can call it a test, in Studio Art this morning. We went to an Art Museum in Viterbo and had to complete two drawings of statues or works displayed in the museum. I really enjoy that course because the instructor is so accepting of different styles of drawing and interpretation. I’ve never had an art teacher like him and I’m really confused as to why we don’t have more instructors with his teaching method. It makes way for a relaxed classroom atmosphere and allows for exploration in the realm of personal creation.

I have a midterm in Landscape Ecology next week and two midterms the following, one in Society & Culture, the other in Art History. I’m worried about having time to thoroughly study for these exams because we’re traveling this weekend and next. This Friday, we take off for Venice for the weekend to celebrate Carnivale and next weekend, we’ll be in Florence. I guess I’m going to have to resort to studying on the bus and the train… How enjoyable, not.

Today is my last day in Italian! I’m excited because I’m more interested in learning colloquial Italian, not messing around with conjugations and grammar rules. I have a language parter who has been helping me with my conversational Italian. I learn new words from her each time we meet. Italian class runs Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 5:15 to 7:15 pm. Now that I’m done with Italian, my Wednesdays are completely free! Wahoo!! I’m really excited to use this day for studying and catching up with schoolwork. We’re traveling quite a bit now and it’s harder to get anything done on the weekend.

Alright, well now it’s time to grab some food and start working on my Ecology homework for this week. Hope you all enjoyed the update! Keep warm and healthy. :)

Recent Travels.

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 10:22:00 -0500

The past few weekends, my friends and I have been doing day trips to cities near Viterbo. I’m really behind with editing and posting photos from these adventures, but I’ve finished with photos from Tarquinia and I’m publishing some of them in this entry. Tarquinia is a small city on the West Coast of Italia and the city itself is perched up on a hill, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Like many of the Medieval cities in the region, Tarquinia has an exterior stone wall and right outside these walls lies the ancient Etruscan necropolis with over 6,000 tombs and around 200 wall paintings dating back to 500 B.C.! After exploring the tombs, we took a small bus down to Tarquinia Lido (the beach). Holy moly, was my heart delighted to smell the pungent sea breeze! We ate lunch at Ristorante Gradinoro, a pricey, but beautiful restaurant with seating right on the beach. I ordered Linguine agli Scampi (Linguine with Shrimp Scampi) and boy was it something extremely unexpected! (See photo below) After lunch, we took a stroll out to the water and dipped our feet in the chilly Mediterranean ocean. I left a little note on the beach for my one and only… and then we were off to catch the bus back up to the main stop near the city. We waited for about 15 minutes at the bus stop… with no bus in sight, we proceeded to freak out a little, since the last bus back to Viterbo was leaving rather soon. We started walking down the boardwalk, looking for another bus stop to check the times, when one of us turned around to see the bus coming!! Phew!! That was a close one… We made it back to the main stop with time to spare… which we used to go purchase some Gelato. :) Overall, the trip was relaxing and of course, completely beautiful to all of the senses. I hope this small strip of photos has the same effect on your mind. Ciao, i miei amici!

View of the ocean from right outside the walls…

Awesome stone vessels at the necropolis…

The breath-taking Italian countryside…

This really odd colored lizard! Look Shane, it’s Lizzy’s cousin! ;)

The restaurant on the beach…

Linguine agli Scampi… Their eyes, claws, and antennae are still intact!

Ashlee and her complete fried fish!

Karl’s gorgeous ‘Fruit of the Sea’ platter!

Little note for Bubba… <3

Photos by Chelsea Beights

It's been a while...

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:23:00 -0500

And to be honest… I’m not really sure what exactly to fill you all in on.

My friends and I have been planning all of our adventures for the next 12 weekends. Here’s a rough draft of our schedule…

Feb. 19th- Day trip to the coast, Tarquinia!

Feb. 27th- Day trip to Roma on Sunday to visit the Vatican!

Mar. 4th-6th- Weekend trip to Venice for Carnivale!!

Mar. 11th-13th- Weekend trip to Florence.

Mar. 18th- Field trip with Art History class to Roma!

Mar. 25th-27th- Katelyn and Ashlee will be on the Field Study and I’ll be at home writing my Landscape Ecology paper :)

Apr. 1st-3rd- ???

Apr. 8th-10th- Weekend in Cinque Terre for Ashlee’s Birthday!

Apr. 14th-23rd- SPRING BREAK IN GREECE!!!

Apr. 29th- Day trip to Calpiboa with USAC.

May 6th-8th- FULL WEEKEND FOR STUDYING AND WRITING PAPERS…

May 10th- I fly home!

When it’s laid out like that… It feels like I barely have any time left in Italy! Oy! I’ve been having quite a bit of homework in all of my classes, so time is really going by quickly. I’m really enjoying life here! :)

Grazie

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:42:00 -0500

I just want to take the time to say thank you to all my friends and family. Thank you for the warmth and love you show on a regular basis. Thank you for the support to follow my dreams. Thank you for listening and giving appropriate advice. You are all so wonderful and I’m so blessed to have each and every one of you in my life. Grazie tutti.

Civita- Il Paese Che Muore.

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 16:54:00 -0500

Today, some friends and I took an adventure to a city named Bagnoregio, which is about an hour outside of Viterbo. On the edge of this city lies Civita, population nearly 20. This town has been slowing dying over the past couple decades. It was built on a small plateau that has been decreasing in size and taking the city buildings down with it. I’m currently doing more research on the reasons for evacuation, but so far I’ve found that there was a major earthquake in the late 17th century and the town became an island due to quick acting erosion. I’d love to delve into the town and the history a little more and maybe even do my Independent Study photo series on it. We shall see…

Here’s a little peep of the shots I got today. :)

Well… it’s time for me to get going. Ciao! ;)

Photos by Chelsea Beights

Relief!

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 05:16:00 -0500

I’m extremely happy to inform you all that I am finally feeling better. For the past few days, I had been slowly climbing up the ladder out of the dark pit of pain and sickness, but the congestion did not want to let go. Yesterday, when Ashlee and I went to the Coop (similar to Wal-Mart), I stopped by the Pharmacy counter and asked for some nasal spray. What do you know, he hands me Vicks Nasal Relief. HALLELUJAH!! I’m feeling fantastic this morning! No congestion, no throat pain, no head pain… I’m ready to take on the world. Thank goodness I feel this way, because I have an intense amount of homework to do for my Landscape Ecology class that meets at 9 am tomorrow. Luckily, I don’t have class this afternoon until 5, so I have all day to be productive! :)

I’m anxious about this weekend! Some of my friends and I are taking small day trips to different towns outside of Viterbo. The one I can not wait to check out and take photos of is called ‘The Dying City’. I’ll be able to fill you guys in with more details about the place on Sunday. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to Roma last Sunday, due to weather and illness. However! We have already planned to trek it down there in a few weekends, on February the 27th, to explore the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, etc.

Oh! Another great feat of relief! Our shower curtain has been plagued with mold since the day we arrived (and most likely way before our arrival), but we didn’t want to take the chance of washing it in the washer and having mold stay in the washer, so when we were at the Coop, we also picked up a new shower curtain! Turns out it’s a little on the small side, but hey, we don’t have to deal with the mold anymore and that’s all that matters, right? That’s all that matters to us anyway.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday! Big hugs and kisses from Italia!! XOXO

I leave you with this lovely image, they may be elderly, but they always look their best.

Photo by Chelsea Beights

Salame, salame, salame, salame, salame!

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 13:37:45 -0500

Salame, salame, salame, salame, salame!

Things aren't the same...

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 08:24:11 -0500

The title might seem like a no brainer… and I have to admit, it was part of why I was interested in coming here in the first place, but I feel like I might not have put as much thought into this part of the experience as I should have.

I don’t want to be a complainer, I’m enjoying my time here and I’m so thankful that I’ve been blessed with this opportunity. But let’s be honest, those days do exist, those days when things in your life aren’t all HONKY-DORY. I sort of shoved myself into a position where I get to experience that feeling multiple times a week and I’m not sure I like it.

Tuesday night was Taco night. Let’s just say… that was a DISASTER. Anyone who has participated in my Taco Tuesdays at home can vouch for the deliciousness of this meal, but when I attempted to cook it here, I failed miserably. I was cooking for my roommate, Ashlee, and our friend, Katelyn, who are both wonderful and tried to convince me that the tacos were fine, but if I had to grade them, I would give them a D-… or maybe an F. The chicken was delicious on its own, but I had a hell of a time trying to find the other ingredients. We couldn’t find any cheddar cheese, so we used Mozzarella… The Mozzarella here is juicy and is kept in a big bucket of liquid at the store. We also had the hardest time finding sour cream, when we finally asked the lady behind the meat counter, she gave us their version or sour cream, which tastes just like whip cream. We bought an avocado at the big grocery store and thought we were in for a real treat! It was humongous and we were so excited about it, but when I sliced it open, it was brown inside! So we ended up filling out tacos with chicken, slices of soggy Mozzarella, and tomato. Oh and the ‘tortillas’ were basically slices of pita bread. They were really thick and floury and broke apart as soon as you tried to wrap it up. So yes, this is the down fall of my taco making in Italy. I can’t wait to be home and make real tacos every Tuesday this summer, which Shane seems extremely excited about!

As I said a couple days ago, I’ve been sick for the past week. This is an extremely difficult feat. You know when you’re sick and you have those certain things that seem like they really help, even though it’s merely a placebo effect? I want those comfort foods and I can’t find them anywhere.

I’ve met wonderful people here and I’m going to miss them so much when I go home, but between you and I… I’m counting down the days until I’m back to reality. I miss all of you so much and hope time starts to fly by. I know, I know, I should enjoy every minute and I’m honestly trying. Seems I’m learning quite a lot about myself and what’s truly important in my life…

End note: Don’t read too much into this rant.