So first, I need to apologize for not posting at all for the last month. I got some complaints, but to be honest, not too much was going on. I didn't travel for the two weeks before exams, so I have some things I did in Rome to share, and then I have the week of travels post-classes to share as well. It was an incredible few weeks to cap off an incredible semester. I sit now in my living room in St. Louis, and it's a very weird feeling. Surreal is the word that comes to mind. I was in Rome two days ago saying goodbyes and exploring the city, and now I'm in my living room. It's a hard feeling to explain. I'm so glad to be home, but I would go back in a heartbeat. Anyways, details from the last few weeks:
I went to a Roma soccer game against Fiorentina two Wednesdays ago. Italian soccer is crazy. Fiorentina scored in the 91st minute to break a 1-1 tie, and I've never seen so many angry screaming Italians in my life. It was a blast, and I wish I'd have gone to more.
After the second to last calcio (soccer) game at JFRC, to make a long story short, I went to a professors house and five of us told stories over 20 year old scotch and Cuban cigars. It was pretty awesome, and I'm sharing it more for my own remembrance's sake.
Two Thursdays ago, we had our end of the semester banquet. We had awards, danced, reminisced, and had a great time. It was the beginning of the end. I had exams the entire next week, which was a lot of work. My final grades were decent, so I guess I did fine. I tried to get out and see as much of the city as possible while still doing enough studying.
The last night that everyone was in town before exams, we went to dinner at our favorite restaurant (Osteria dell'Anima) for Fiochetti (pear pasta), then went for gelato at Giolitti by the Pantheon. On the way back, there was a man playing cello under the entrance way to the Pantheon. It was one of the most incredible things I've ever seen, and we sat and listened to him for half an hour or so. We went to some of the favorite bars after that, and I said most of my goodbyes. It was very difficult. The Friday of exams, my last exam ended at 10AM, I immediately got into a taxi to the airport, and I caught a 1 o'clock flight to Palermo, Sicily.
Palermo was beautiful. I kind of wish I had gone earlier in the semester. I had trouble getting into it because I was by myself and I missed Rome very much. I did my best though. During the days, I went to the beach and wrote in a notebook about my experiences in Rome, and just enjoyed the sun. I climbed a small mountain on the side of town to get a view of the city which took most of my Sunday up. I enjoyed it very much, and I'll put pictures up on Facebook. Monday, I got on a plane at 7AM to go back to Rome. I got to Rome, went straight to the train station, and I got a train to Venice.
When the train got to Venice, my Italian friend Marco, who lives in Padua (about an hour from Venice), met me and showed me the city. We stayed in Venice from 1PM to about 7PM, just exploring and going to see St. Mark's Square and such, and then Marco's parents picked us up to go back to Padua. We drove on a road along a small canal lined with nice mansions which apparently in the past was used by nobility to drive boats to and from Venice. We got to Padua, and I met Marco's older brother Luca. The Faggin family were some of the nicest people I've ever met, and they treated me like their own. We ate dinner and watched the Manchester United/Manchester City soccer game, then went out for a beer in Padua. We came back early and slept, and the next day, Marco showed me around Padua. We went to St. Anthony's cathedral, got a slushee-like drink called granita, and enjoyed our time together. That night, I caught a train to Bolzano to meet my friends Matt and Mitch.
I got into Bolzano around 9, and the other two weren't supposed to get in until the next morning, so I just hung out in the hostel and got a good night's sleep. They got in the next morning, and in the morning light it was plain to see that Bolzano was one of the most beautiful places I had ever been. It was acquired by Italy after WWII from Austria, and all the signs were in German and the architecture was all Austrian. It didn't seem very Italian, but it was buried in the mountains and it was absolutely gorgeous. We spent the day hiking in the mountains and then just relaxed and played cards at night. The next day we took a cable car ride to Soprabolzano and some other small mountain towns, and just enjoyed the views. Then that night we sat in the park and reminisced about the semester. It was a really great time. That night I took an overnight train from Bolzano to Rome, getting in to Rome around 9AM.
At 10AM, I got back to the Rome Center and caught up with my RAs and the administration. My friend Andrew got in around 2PM, and we put our bags into the hotel and then went for our last gelato. We met everyone else who was in town, our RAs, and the dean of students and his wife for dinner, then we went to a bar for the rest of the night and told stories and such. We said our tough goodbyes, went to sleep, and the next morning got a plane at 1:20PM to Frankfurt, then a 5:40PM plane to Chicago. I landed at 8PM Chicago time, hung out with my roommates and saw old friends all night, and today, drove back to St. Louis. Here I am, and just like that, it was over.
Exactly what I'm feeling right now is really hard to explain. Like I said, I am so happy to be home, but I'd go back in a heartbeat. Last night, right now, everything feels like a dream. Being in America doesn't feel like real life. It's a totally different world. I miss Rome so much, but I missed it here. Being with my family and friends is great. I'm just really torn.
I learned a lot about myself this semester. I don't know what I want to do with my life, or who I am exactly, or anything. It helped me realize how little I knew, how much I took for granted, and just how lucky I am. Many people around the Rome Center have been encouraging me to apply for the RA position in Rome when I graduate, and I think I just might. Who knows. Rome has become a second home, and I know I'll go back.
So for me, it's the end, but it's also the beginning. I learned so much and my thinking has changed so much that I know my life is headed in a new direction. I don't know which, but I know it is. My semester in Rome is over, but it will always be close to my heart. I don't know that I'm ready to talk about everything right away, but I'm willing to start talking, and if I talk too much about Rome, just tell me to shut up!
I want to thank everyone who read this blog throughout the semester. I wasn't expecting the response that I got, but many people said they really enjoyed reading this, and that means a lot to me. I want to see everyone, so please, Facebook or e-mail or call me, and tell me about how your last four months have been! Thanks again, and have a great summer. I leave you with the words of a piece of graffiti I saw at the beginning of the semester near the Colosseum: Ama e sarai felice. "Love, and you will be happy." Arrivederci, my friends.
-Ryan Bedell
May 7, 2012
