Italia

Finally! I made the long awaited trip back to Italia this past week for the Kurban Bayram. I knew I missed Italy (anyone who has talked to me could figure that out) but I didn’t realize just how much or even why. Italy is simply beautiful. I knew that around each corner there would be something to marvel at, whether it be moss on the old buildings, a macchiato in a café or just the smiling faces of the Italians. The man at the first hotel I stayed at even laughed at me when I first walked in. He said I just looked so happy. And I was! I spent my first day in Venice just walking around and hitting some of the museums that I had missed. I then went off searching for a restaurant that was recommended. After two hours of walking in circles, I came up with a theory. If you go looking for something in Venice, you’ll never find it. You just have to have faith that you stumble upon it. I guess you could say it’s the same for life in general.

The next day I left for Aviano. I was expecting it to feel foreign and that I would feel a little out of place. It was like going home. I went to the same café and even took a walk to go look at the apartment. It was so wonderful seeing good friends. I forgot just how much they were like a family to me when living out there. Good times were had and I felt truly happy. Susan (my first mentor teacher) took me on a beautiful adventure on Sunday. Her friend had us over for lunch and then we took the train down to Veince to watch a wonderful piano player.

Since I was traveling alone, I did a lot of thinking. Mostly I thought about my goals and what makes me happy. I realized that just lived a much more balanced and reflective life when I was in Italy (BLIS people: PYP essential elements!)  I also had a wonderful reminder about just how badly I would like to teach with DoDDS. I kept the in mind this week and have been stressing out about starting grad school. It got so bad that I couldn’t sleep one night. I tried, but I just ended up getting up and calling different universities and sending emails to various advisors. I’m hoping to start a master’s in special education within the next 6 months. Lots of thinking to do! It was a wonderful short week and I’m excited to get back in the swing of school!

Aviano Antique Market