The End of an Era

As I sit in my London Hotel room, all I can think about is how bad I want to go back to Paderno. With a blink of an eye, three months in Italy have come and gone. In 90 days, we have traveled half of Europe, actually attended class for an entire semester without a single absence, became addicted to Tabacchi sandwiches and proseco, and formed lasting relationships. 

This past week was bittersweet. We were all busy studying for finals but wanting to enjoy our last bits of time together in a little town we called home for a while. At this point, many of my friends are off traveling Europe: Berlin, Barcelona, Amalfi Coast, Amsterdam, etc. Others are on flights back to the US. It saddens me to know that I may never see some of these people again. 

Last weekend I ended up staying in Paderno instead of traveling. And I have to say it was my favorite weekend of the semester. Elena and I watched The Masters in the Simpson Room with the boys on Thursday night; we all went to dinner and bars in Bassano on Friday night; we went to Mount Grappa on Saturday; and hung out at Al Sole and on the Jesus field on Saturday night. Getting to spend time with my favorite CIMBites on my last weekend in Italy was a treat. 

I arrive in Raleigh tomorrow at 2:45 (8:45pm Italy time). As excited as I am to see everyone, a little bit of me wishes I had more time in Europe. However, I know I will be back soon enough. Anyway, I need to see all my dogs and Mercury! And get to Harkers for Easter!

Ciao!