Reflections

It has been such a semester.

I felt that, in order to do it complete justice, I needed to step back and reflect on it for a while.

And, looking back on Bologna - after Christmas has passed, after being in America and returning to American culture for about three weeks - I have to say that I miss it terribly.

I miss the walking everywhere I went - because not only did it justify having gelato every week (if not once, then two or three times) - it brought me into contact with people that I wouldn't have had the chance to observe. I got to really see Bologna by walking through it, and got the chance to fall in love with its cobbled streets, its covered walkways, and its piazzas.

It also didn't hurt that, while I was overseas, the walking helped me shed an extra ten pounds.

I miss the food - although who wouldn't? I miss being able to walk out the door and know that there was quality pizza right across the street - and that I knew the guy who ran the restaurant, and he knew me, my order, and my preferences, and would stop by my table to chat and say hi. I miss knowing that I could pop into a coffee shop and grab a latte macchiato at any hour of the day and no one would question me. I miss pasta e fagioli, pasta carbonara, tagliatelle alla bolognese, and cotoletta alla Bolognese. I miss walking down to a small hole in the wall restaurant every week with my roommate, sitting down at our table, and eating what was recommended to us by staff that were enthusiastic both about their food and their customers.

I miss the travel. I had no idea that I was going to leave America and come back in three months having spent time in Greece, England, Spain, Poland, Germany, and (briefly) France. I treasure the chance to go to sites that I only dreamt of seeing - Delphi, Sagrada Familia, the Parthenon Museum, the city of Torun, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the David, the Duomo in Milan - and I know that next time I'm in Europe, I have to expand my horizons even more. Especially in Germany, because I only saw the airport in Germany, and I wish I'd had more time to see it properly.

Most of all, I miss the people. I miss the classmates with whom I spent practically every waking hour in Bologna, learning about environmental ethics, Italian language and Bolognese history, and art history. I miss bonding with them over meals in the mensa, and using what little Italian I knew to communicate with the staff and teaching them English in return. I miss traveling around Italy and Europe and meeting people who, no matter what, reminded me of why I came to Italy in the first place - from the students at Loyola who bonded over the American in Europe experience with us all at our farewell dinner in Torun to the woman in Stratford who helped me call a cab from the train station, their kindness and welcoming nature helped me to shed my nervous nature and open up to new experiences.

But every experience has its downsides.

I don't miss being away from everyone at home. In fact, being back stateside has made me even more grateful for cell service and wifi so that I can remain in contact with my friends and family in a way that wasn't possible in Europe.

I don't miss the fear. After Paris, everyone at home (and some people in Europe, although not the majority), began to panic about my being overseas. I didn't even know it, but over the holidays my family's first question about my trip wasn't, "What was your favorite part?" but "Were you afraid?" or "What happened in Europe? What was the climate like after...you know..." And I've already addressed this here, so I won't rehash it for you again, but I really don't miss personally being afraid while everyone else thought I was insane. And getting home and finding out that no one really understands what it's like? It doesn't make things any better.

However, I don't think these negatives outweigh the positives of my time overseas. I'm a different person now than I was when I left in September, and I think Italy has been a huge part of it.

Grazie, Bologna.