Reflections on Italy (June 24-July 13)-written right after we returned

The last three weeks of my life have become jumbled into a mess of temples, beaches, songs, naps, late nights, long weeks, mozzarella cheese and gelato. I can remember the first day as vividly as if it were yesterday, with french braids being the trend and the light rain becoming a thunderous storm as we climbed up the steep side of a mountain. The names and places run together, each hotel looks like the last, and each gelateria is the same. The bustling traffic and blaring horns followed us wherever we went. We napped on buses, in puppy piles, in museums, in Jake's bed, and occasionally in our own rooms. We turned our patio into a laundry mat. Infomercials and mtv became the norm. But no matter how tired we were, or frustrated or hot, nothing could turn those times into a bad experience. Everything was new and exciting. The blisters that cover my feet and the bruises on my legs are battle wounds that house memories of shopping, roman ruins, and waiting in airports. It feels unreal that this morning I woke up in Rome and stumbled into a van to head to the airport. I could easily be convinced that that happened a month ago. However, I could just as easily be convinced that last night I was sitting on a rooftop in Matera with ten of my new friends watching fireworks light the sky behind the duomo. I want to be back in my hotel room in Rome, or my cave in Matera, or getting cornrows in the lobby of the Sirene hotel, but the hum of my own air conditioner and the shadow of my disco ball in the corner make me glad to be home. Some of the friends I made I may never see again. And some I plan to see this weekend, but the lessons I learned in the last three weeks about myself and the world around me have made me into a more mature and cultured human being. As cliché and this may sound, this trip made me appreciate the simple pleasures in life such as the beautiful coastlines and natural landscapes all over the world. I would never trade the last three weeks for anything in this world and the memories of that trip will stay with me forever.