My days in Rome are coming to a close and I just want to stop time and savor it for as long as I can. My finals are almost here and I am avoiding my final papers as if in not writing them I’ll slow down the time I have. I feel at home here, more than I have in Orlando. The culture is more similar to the way I was raised, and the atmosphere has been a nurturing one. I know I will be back. I have to be back. This semester has been more of a way to find my future, rather than just change my scenery. I’ve always known that I wanted to leave the United States, which is why I have dedicated myself to knowing more languages than just English. That is why I know I will be back here, there is a lot here for me.
Living in this city has given me a taste of independence that I did not know was possible for me at this age. At home, with my very strict parents, I was very sheltered. It was only last semester that I was still asking for permission to stay longer on campus to go to the library! Here, I’ve been free to move in the ways I need to and take the learning experiences I want. For once, I feel like I’m not missing out, like I have the same freedom as everyone else. Maybe this experience will serve as the catalyst to the same freedom at home. In a way, I’ve proved myself capable of it.
I will take these last weeks left and see what I can, wander where I please, and let flow freely the love and gratefulness I have for this city, this experience, and myself.
Ciao. Next time I write, I will be back in Orlando.