Post-Game Replay

Wowza. I cannot believe that these past four months have come and gone. It is so surreal to think about all that has happened during those months and to be unsure of when I will make it back to Italy. I've been in a bubble for the entire semester so being home has been incredibly strange. Giving up the adventure and the Italian characteristics that I adopted has been so difficult.

So...how about an instant replay?
In the past 4 months, I have...

• Traveled to all of Italy's major cities...

Florence

Rome

Venice

• Chilled with the pope in Rome...

• Gazed upon Michelangelo's greatest works of art...

• Walked the moonlit streets of Venice during Carnivale...

• Wine-tasted in Chianti...

• Flown 3000 feet above the Swiss Alps with nothing but a parachute...

• Written on the John Lennon Wall in Prague, Czech Republic...

• Walked the Berlin Wall in Germany...

• Avoided the peep shows and coffee shops in Amsterdam...

• Took a stroll down the Champs Elysees in Paris...

• Brought down the mafia in Sicily (only partially true)...

• Rowed the Blue Grotto in Capri...

• Swam in the Mediterranean...

• Ate some of the world's best chocolate and gelato...

• Watched a medieval cart explode on Easter...

• Celebrated Italy's 150th year of unification...

• Made some amazing friends from all around the world...

• Had the most incredible experience that I could ever have wished for. 

I recently looked back at my first few entries and it's so fun to see how much I have grown and changed since January. In one of my first blogs, I wrote about feeling as if I was ascending a tall hill on a rollercoaster, anticipating and fearing the quick fall to the bottom. Well, now that I have ridden the 'coaster, I can tie a bow on that analogy. Though initially the ride seemed as if it would be a long and scary experience, when I was finally in the midst of it, I realized that I was having the time of my life. In the excitement of it all, I dreaded its end and, as I pull back into the station, the primary emotions that I feel are adrenaline-fueled and euphoric. The mammoth hills, sharp turns and sickening loops have left me out of breath and exhausted. But, just like the Goliath at Six Flags, when I stepped off the ride, the first words out of my mouth were, That was fun. Let's do it again...

-Britt