I don’t think it would be right to post another blog without at least saying something about the occurrences in Paris and subsequently throughout the world. For me, it seems like these events have had much more of an affect on me they have the other people I surround myself with. I’m unsure as to whether or not that’s a product of people hiding their true feelings or because I actually am overreacting but regardless the situation has changed my entire outlook on the rest of my study abroad experience.
As I’ve mentioned before, this is my first time outside of the United States ever in my entire life. I have not even travelled to Canada or Mexico, or even somewhere like Jamaica or Puerto Rico. My longest flights before the one to Rome were from New York to Orlando and back. I came here completely inexperienced it seems, so of course I was incredibly nervous when it came to traveling around and even just being in Italy gave me anxiety even though I knew it was where I would study for the semester. With the recent attacks, that anxiety has only intensified and has lead to many nights of restless sleep and tons of trips via public transportation where I couldn’t focus clearly on the stops I was passing by.
Being in Europe during this time has been quite scary but at the same time it’s done well to show me the various perspectives on world issues we face in this day and age. The strength that I’ve seen from my fellow study abroad students as well as my family and friends at home has almost felt tangible. The attack in Paris was a really great reality check that although I’ve been incredibly lucky in my lifetime and especially in this past semester, not everyone is always so lucky and not everything is always a fairy tale. As I’ve been spending the past 3.5 months living out The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Montecarlo, Cheetah Girls 2 and other ridiculous movie plot lines, there have been those who have not even been fortunate enough to focus on anything besides the war going on in the world around them. I feel blessed to know that myself as well as my friends and family are all safe in the world.
What made the whole situation more extreme to me was that on the evening of the attacks, there were a few students from Rollins who were visiting the rest of us in Rome. One of those friends was studying abroad in Paris. It seemed so surreal that something like that could happen and hit so close to home and we all were shell-shocked to hear the news as outpourings of messages and phone calls came in asking if each of us were okay.
Aside from the Paris attacks, the weekend overall was my favorite one yet. I was so happy to be able to be a tour guide in my own city where I got to walk around and show all of my friends the various things about Rome that make it so special to me. We went to some of my personal favorite restaurants, bars, and gelato spots, which kind of made me feel as if I were a local. It was nice to be a tourist in my own town for a weekend and to get to take cheesy pictures by the Pantheon, Colosseum and other Roman architecture. The entire weekend was a reminder of the feeling I had when I first arrived in Rome and it brought back a spark reminding me of why I love this city so much. I realized then more than ever just how much I would miss it when I have to leave.
I know it is cheesy and often when I’ve heard people say this line I’ve felt the urge to laugh. I never understood how a place could become so familiar, like a new home, in just a short span of 4 months. However, I now understand that it’s something you have to experience, and something you cannot understand otherwise. I know I will leave a piece of my heart in Rome and I have every intention of returning the next chance I get. It seems like my ‘Roman Holiday’ has turned into a love affair that is irrevocable and I can’t say that I am upset with that turnout.
Although I will be incredibly sad to leave my city, I know that I’ll come back one day and I know that the memories I’ve made are ones I’ll always cherish and remember (and if I forget I have this blog and my journal to remember it by). It’ll be a third place that I’m constantly missing when I am not there, added to the list of Home and Rollins. As I explained in my last post, it’s a truly bittersweet feeling to leave but now with the current situation in Europe I am feeling more and more glad to be heading home in just over 2 weeks. This semester has flown by but it’s been a whirlwind experience that I couldn’t have imagined not having and I am so thankful for. Fitting, I suppose, that I’m posting this on Thanksgiving day. ☺
I’m currently in the airport in Athens waiting for my sister to arrive. Once she gets here we will board a plane to Santorini and meet up with the rest of my friends from the ISA program and we will all celebrate Thanksgiving in a new setting with new friends. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone back in America; enjoy some turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce for me.
Happy holidays,
Taylor