Leaving Santa Chiara

Tuesday, 5/6/03
This is my last morning at Santa Chiara. I spent my last night here already. I prayed that today I wouldn't need excitement, giddiness (especially not giddiness) or excessive happiness, but only tranquility. And this morning tranquility is what I have. I have this calm, yet exciting feeling that the moment has finally arrived. I can pack, smile, and do nothing but get ready to go home. I'll see my parents in less than 36 hours.

Wednesday, 5/7/03
9 hours! I'm on the flight home, over the Atlantic ocean. We're about to be shown "Chicago", but until then I'll write. Tuesday was a very good day, a very good day. I woke up and started swinging my arms around out of excitement.

After lunch the "non-non architecture" group gave our gifts to the instructors/admin/cooks, etc. Then I went up to Kate's room to help her "focus" on packing. We listened to the Beatles, then the Bridget Jones' Diary soundtrack. If you step on top of Kate's bed, then to the radiator, then up to the window ledge, you can sit up there. There are diamond shaped bars across the big window, but one corner was sawed off, so Kate climbed through to the scaffolding on the other side. There has even been scaffolding on Santa Chiara all semester! I sat on the window sill and Kate translated the article on Legolas from her LOTR magazine for me. She's picked up some Italian pretty well. Next I helped Morgan proofread a paper she wrote for a scholarship application.

At check-out Amanda gave us our room deposits back and when I found out that we could buy the Italy Spring 2003 directories with American dollars, I was overjoyed. She gave me change in Euros. Somehow those Euros keep turning up! I ran to the bookstore and got the book on Tuscany that I thought would be a perfect gift for Grandpa. Now I have gifts for everyone! I was ecstatic.

After 9 everyone had already left for CoCo Palm. Valerie and I went, and got our gelati. I got melone, which tasted exactly like cantaloupe, a citrus mix which tasted like grapefruit, and creme. They were all good, but not my favorites.

I lugged all my stuff downstairs, then went to Kate's room again before we moved all the luggage to Piazza Garibaldi for the bus. Kate has become one of my favorite people. She is so funny with all her daydreams. Morgan thinks it is nuts how the two of us just go off on Lord of the Rings all the time.

We packed the bus and left Castiglion Fiorentino at 12:30am. A lot of other students who weren't leaving quite yet came to see us off. I discovered that the reason I hate goodbyes is because I want to cry but can't, and because if I say goodbye to someone I don't know too well, I regret not getting to know them better. So I would rather just wave happily.

We all slept the three hours to Rome. We got there at 3:30, and waited until after 5 to check in. We got one the plane with no incident, then got to Frankfurt after our boarding time, so we had no layover! Hurray! Now I'm watching the Q-tip clouds over the Atlantic.

[The end.]