Home Sweet Home

I have now been home a week!!!!!! I am writing this post so you all know I am home and safe. Last Thursday was such a long day and the day before that was pretty long too. That Wednesday there was the school trip to the Vatican. The four exchange students were grouped on a bus with no one else from our linguistic school, which caused us to be separated from the group when we arrived at the Vatican. Everyone from Caserta were give bright yellow baseball hats which we needed to wear so we could be identified. The four of us were waiting to get through security and we kept following a group with the yellow hats, turns out they were another school! We arrived in the audience hall safely and waited with the kids from our bus until our school came in. Four different teachers came up to us and yelled at us saying they were looking for us and we need to stay with them.

In the audience hall the Pope came and read some passages in about seven different languages. It was a wonderful experience to be there and have the Pope in the same room, listening to him. (One thing checked off my list) After the Pope we went into Saint Peter's Basilica and we listened to a little service inside the Vatican. I could not understand everything, but I was able to follow along. Just sitting there looking at everything, realizing where I was, The Vatican! I thought about what this place means to so many people in the world. Religion, God, faith, something to believe in, everything and sitting there a few rows back from the front of the Vatican, feeling small in this world, I just wanted to cry. The experience was very moving and rather overwhelming. I was sitting and listening to a service in the Vatican! To many people this is their life, their goal before they die. The Vatican is just one symbol to represent this religion and thinking of what it all means and the beauty of the Vatican....truly breath taking. (Yet another thing off my list)

After the service we had some free time to stay in St. Peter's Square. I stayed with the two girls from Australia and we went to this fountain and ate lunch. We stood there with St. Peter's Basilica to the left, on top of the hill, with the sun moving towards it, and we were there eating our sandwiches trying to take everything in, staring at the Swiss guards. Time flew by that day and later I remembered that it was my last full day in Italy. The entire day was perfect. From the bus ride there, talking and making friends, listening to the Pope, sitting in the Vatican, eating lunch in St. Peter's Square, everything....made me realized that this experience did not make me hate Italy at all, nor the people. I had my ups and downs and being able to walk around and see things they way I wanted to made me realized thats how I wanted to see Italy. Staying home all the time not being able to get out and see the culture and explore and study the history is why I could not stay until June.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011 will be a day I will never forget and the feelings I felt that day I hope to keep with me forever. Like all good things they must come to an end. The bus ride back seemed to go by too quick, waiting for my host mom to pick me up at the school seemed to fast, saying goodbye to Lani and some of my Italian friends dragged on and I felt that I was losing someone very close to me. When I got back to the house to finish packing I realized I left my camera on the bus. All the pictures from that amazing day were gone. I was more sad about losing the pictures of the Vatican, the Pope, my friends rather than the camera itself. On top of feeling disappointed, I was leaving in like 8 hours for the airport. I had so many emotions and so many thoughts going through my head. That night I slept pretty well and when I awoke for a split second I forgot I was leaving.

Flying by myself was not to bad. The flight to Milan from Naples was not to long, but in the Milan airport I had a four hour layover. I waited with one of the reps from BEC and then she helped me to check my luggage in. The flight left Milan a little later than expected so when I arrived in Frankfurt I had to run from one gate to the next. There was about twenty minutes left for boarding so I didn't have much time to look around. When I got to my gate and gave the woman my ticket there was a man there who told me, "You know its dry onboard." I did not understand what he was talking about so he repeated himself and then said, "We have a roof on the plane." Then I realized he was referring to the rain boots I was wearing. He was very nice and laughing helped me to relax a little. I found my seat and luckily there was only one other person in my row so we were not squished. She was coming back from Israel where he son is going to college and I told her about my trip and she asked questions and talking with her was nice and she was impressed by the way I was explaining things and talking about how much I learned.

About 8 hours later, I was landing in New York City. When the clock on the T.V. screen showed 30 minutes, I was ready to jump out of the plane and go home. Waiting for my luggage took a little longer then I hoped, then I had to have my passport stamped and hand in the paper they gave us where we wrote down everything we were bringing into the country and then I walked through the doors to see my family. My Aunt, brother, his girlfriend, my mom and dad were all there waiting for me and had a little welcome home sign for me. Not even five minutes seeing them my aunt made me call my Grammie and Poppie so they knew I was home safe with them. I called a few more people and they were all glad to hear my voice and hear I was home safely. As we were pulling up to my house my Grandparents were pulling down the drive way. Once we parked I got out and i saw my Grammie running up to hug me. Once we were inside I hugged everyone again.

Once everyone left and I was talking to my mom I gave her another hug and I just cried. I was waiting to hug her for four months. All though it was a learning experience with some unforgettable times, it was the four longest months of my life. I would not trade them for anything, but just being home and hugging my mom, I never wanted to let go.

The next few days I was pretty tired, but still up and doing things, seeing my best friends, my aunt, and on Monday I went to my friends house and it turns out there were a few more people there then she told me there would be. I was so happy to see most of my friends. hugging them all and talking with them. I shared stories with them, we watched a movie and just hung out. It is now exactly one week since I left and I am happy to be home. I start classes in a week or so and I will have to start learning to drive and going back to work and I can't wait. I will never forget Italy. Some details will become fuzzy, but for the most part I will take what I have been through and what I have learned in Italy with me where ever I go and do whatever I do.