Vita è Bella!

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Hello all! I've returned safely to America, and have spent the past week and a half just easing back into life at Saint Mary's. I've been taking a lot of walks/runs, editing my photos, watching movies, and spending time with Kristy, lots of friends, and Tim. It's been an interesting adjustment, but all in all I'm quite glad to be back!

On Thursday, May 3rd, I woke up at approximately 7:14 AM because there were several miniature goals I needed to accomplish. I paid my final visit to our Rome library, then wandered around to the markets of Campo di Fiori and other random places in search of the quintessential touristy blue "Italia" sweatshirt and a "Ciao Bella!" t-shirt. In the process, I also found a cute skirt! It was exciting. I made some rounds to the local grocery stores as well, and ended up buying around 35 Happy Hippos (not nearly enough, in retrospect! I should have bought 300, if only there'd been a way to transport them...) and then took one final walk through the Roman Forum and past the Colosseum. It still felt so surreal... it still feels so surreal. I keep looking at my pictures and thinking, "Wow. That really happened, didn't it?"

I can't believe how fast it went.

Anyway. So then I showered and got ready for our closing banquet, which was really nice. Everyone was dressed up and looking beautiful, and the food was incredible in every way! They served several courses and ample amounts of wine and champagne, the effects of which were amusing to behold. I already miss our Hotel Tiz meals... mmm. Sad. But the best part was definitely seeing all our professors, lecturers, and seminarian friends! I wish we'd gotten to eat at the same table as them, but it was nice to be able to see them and take pictures and say goodbye officially. After dessert (an amazingly good Italian form of strawberry shortcake!) pure chaos erupted as everyone stood up to mill around taking pictures with various groups and different professors. Poor Father Mark took a full hour just to get through the crowd! I think he was in somewhere around 500 pictures all within the space of that hour, haha. Valentina, one of our food servers from the Hotel and an incredibly funny, warm young woman with sparkling brown eyes and a contagious laugh, also ended up in an absurd number of pictures. We formed such a tight bond with her over the course of the semester that it was hard to say goodbye! Apparently this is her first year, so we're her first group of Saint Mary's students, which made it even harder for her to say goodbye too. We both shed lots of tears.

After I cleaned up, washed my face and got myself comfy again, I trekked down to St. Peter's one last time. I walked around the inside in the same dreamlike state as when I first entered it. Everything took on a deeper significance, and suddenly I found myself trying to see and retain every little detail! I walked around slowly, my eyes scanning over the walls and mosaics and the statues and the crowds, trying with all my might to capture every inch of that amazing place in my memory. And yet again, the tears flowed freely down my cheeks. I couldn't help it. St. Peter's is quite simply the most beautiful architectural structure I have ever beheld, and you can just feel the Spirit alive in its every stone. I will miss it so much. As I turned to go, I was surprised to discover the far left entrance open. This door is used primarily for funerals, and prior to this I had never even seen it open. It seemed oddly appropriate that I would exit out that door after my final visit of my time in Rome. I walked out into the bright early evening air feeling oddly serene. Sad, yes, but composed and ready to step forward. That sensation stayed with me as I wandered around St. Peter's Square one last time. I reveled in its beauty, and breathed in all the memories I'd accumulated and all the years and years of history and grace that permeate the cobblestone and whisper in the winds that blow through the columnade. I stood there as long as I could, then made my way back home as the sun set on my final day in Rome.

We went to one final San Andrea Mass next door, at which we had to say goodbye to our friend Tomas, which was hard. He's a wonderful man! We will miss him. After that, we just packed in the room for a while before heading over to Pascucci's one last time to use up our money and get some food for the journey. Then a bunch of the girls and I walked down to Giolitti's for our last gelato cone (nocciola, tiramisu, and torrone) then over to the Trevi for our coin toss. When you visit the Trevi, you're supposed to use your right hand to throw a coin over your left shoulder while facing away from the fountain. You get to make one wish on your own, and with the toss you make a promise that you'll return to Rome someday. I'd been saving my coin toss for that last night, and finally doing it that night made our impending departure seem more real than it had before. We went to the Pantheon one last time, then trudged through the light rain back to the Hotel to pack up and await our departure time. Most of us opted to stay awake the whole night, which was fine by me. We were scheduled to leave at 4 AM, but the bus was a little late. We all crammed our luggage into the lobby and frantically threw everything onto the bus when it finally arrived. Thirty of us were returning right away, and 20 were staying later. Most of the ones who were staying later came down anyway, though, just to say goodbye and help see us off. It was so sad leaving! They stood in the rain and waved at us as we pulled away, and we all waved back, realizing for the first time that we were about to be torn away from the people we'd called family for nearly four months.

It was real.

The rest of the journey is kind of a blur. We got on the plane after some confusion and some luggage issues (mine was most definitely overweight! But the woman didn't charge me, thank heavens. I'm a lucky girl.) We arrived in Paris, found our new gate, and sat down to nap and chat and await the boarding time. We were all so exhausted! We finally got on the next plane and settled in for a 9 hour flight. It left at 1:15 PM, Paris time. We spent the time napping and watching movies, feeling completely removed from all space and time... and then we landed at 3 PM Chicago time. So crazy! It was odd to get off and see signs in just English everywhere... it was very odd. Our luggage went through pretty quickly, and then when we walked out I saw Mom and Dad waiting for me with a balloon!! :-) I was basically filled with joy! Exhausted joy.

My friend Lisa joined us for the ride back to Saint Mary's, and her first comment was, "The cars are so BIG here!" We've been used to little Smartcars in Rome, and motorbikes all over the place. But now we're back in the land of wide roads and SUV's and semi trucks and Hummers! Goodness.

Mom handed me my cell phone, and I made a few phone calls as we drove. We got back to Saint Mary's and dropped Lisa off, then picked up Kristy. It was so good to see her again!! We hugged for a couple minutes, haha. Then I walked along St. Mary's Lake at Notre Dame and met Tim by a bench near the Grotto. We were both just so delighted to be with each other again that we could scarcely stop smiling! We stopped at the Grotto, lit a couple candles, then skipped (literally, at times) down the road to the Avenue of SMC to meet up with the fam. We went out to dinner at Papa Vino's, which was fun, and we were all fairly slaphappy and loopy. I love our family! Mom was worried that he was going to think we were all insane, but he had a good time. I just remember sitting there and grinning from ear to ear, glancing from one person to the next and feeling completely happy. I couldn't have asked for a better first night home!

All in all... life is still amazingly beautiful.

More to come! :-)

posted by Sarah @ 8:33 PM