Last Day & Exams

We woke up on Wednesday as our last full day in Italy. We all had to finish our exams and by the time it was over we had the rest of the afternoon to pack and spend the last afternoon together. Steve came up with the great idea to write letters to each other and put them in bags so when we leave we have a bag full of letters to read. I went up to my room and started folding my clothes but it did not feel right actually packing so I left my clothes on my bed and went to walk around Gagliano with Nalda. We went up to the castle and took so many pictures of the beauty and homes.

By night time we were preparing to have a dinner outside underneath the stars with everyone for our last dinner. We all dressed up and had a lot of food made by Antonietta and we laughed, talked about memories and took a lot of pictures with each other. At the end of the night Ashurina came up with Mock Awards and presented them to all of us. All of them were so funny and we pretty much laughed the whole night until Steve came up with a few games for all of us to do. The last one was to all sit down in the area where we would always eat and we would close our eyes. The professors would tell everyone by birthday months to stand up and touch someone who made an impact on your life on the trip. With all of our eyes closed we all hugged and touched each others shoulders.

I knew when Francesca, my roommate touched me because she gave me a huge hug and I knew it was her. I almost started to cry when the game was over and we all had a few tears in our eyes. By the time we got outside we realized a few of the Italian students were leaving that night and I could not stop crying. We cried all night hugging each other a hundred times before finally watching them leave. The rest of us were planning on going to a bar but a few of us stayed behind to pack and finish everything. I went to sleep that night as my last night in Gagliano looking out my window at the stars and moon.

LAST MORNING:
The morning we all woke up, it didn't feel real that we were about to leave for the airport to Rome. All the Italian students woke up with us and helped us with our bags down to the courtyard. The minute me and Francesca walked down the stairs one last time, I lost it and not only hugged her tight but could not stop crying. It was so hard to think we might never see them for a long time.
We all got onto the bus, all crying until we fell asleep on the bus to Rome. I did not want to go home and I was jealous for the others who were able to stay for a couple of weeks after. On the way to the airport our bus broke down and we were all joking that it was a sign we should all stay in Italy!
Sadly, we made it there and began our 10 hour trip home. When we actually made it to America I just wanted to go home so the long line to get through Customs was not making it any better. I finally got home and I felt lost and empty. I stayed home that night and the next morning was the worst.\

Click Here for Italian Translation