Well, it's been quite some time since I have posted on here. But for those of you who actually read this, you should have received my emails while I was in Italy. And the links to my photos on facebook.
And now I am going to try to sum up some high points of the trip, or some things I feel I have come away with.
I went on this trip with ideas about what it would be like - the places, the people, what we would be doing, but also what would come of it, what I would feel and what my relationships would be like after being gone for a fairly extended amount of time. Concerning the places, the people and what we would see and do, I was totally off. I had never been to Europe before, so I had only Hollywood upon which to base my ideas of what Italy would look like and what the people would be like. And our professors really gave us no idea as to what we would really be doing there on a day to day basis, so when it came down to it and we just toured churches and ghettos and museums for 6 weeks, I couldn't be surprised because my expectations were nothing. The people on the trip definitely surprised me. The people that I had decided in the pre-trip meetings and the first few nights there that I would not hang out with ended up being my good friends. I first hung out with them because they made me laugh and they made sarcastic comments that I wished I had the guts to say, but then we actually got to know each other a little bit. The assumptions I had about them were totally off mark, and had I gone with my first few impressions of them, I would have missed out on a couple great friendships. So I guess that is one thing I learned - that I usually judge people when I first meet them, and I shouldn't do that because people are wonderful - only when I get to know them for who they really are should I be allowed to make any decisions about whether or not I want to hang out with them. And there are some people I just don't want to be around. haha That sounds so mean, but it is true. And I am sure there are some people who don't want to hang out with me, and I am totally fine with that. :) Anyways, all that to say that I learned to get to know people because it will usually be worth it in the end.
And about my relationships that I left behind for 6 weeks - I really enjoyed seeing who would respond to my emails, who would keep in touch - that spoke volumes to me as to which people I should invest my time in getting to know better and who really cared about me, even when I wasn't right there in front of them. I also learned how much I appreciate the friends I have. I definitely take for granted the amazing people I know and get to share life with, even if it is just for these few years we have together in college. I want to make sure that they all know how much I value their friendships and love them. It is really important to me now that those I love know it - just the thought of anything happening to me while I was gone and someone not knowing how I care about them, well, that really made me reprioritize. I sometimes have a hard time expressing that I care, it just is easier and less risky to be vulnerable like that, but it it is crucial!!
I also learned about myself a lot - what I want and don't want, what I can and cannot do, what I value and what I discount, what I find as funny, of what I approve or disapprove, what I believe in and trust, what I fear, what I worry about and what I shouldn't worry about, in what I am most insecure, of what I am most proud and ashamed, and what my goals are for this next term and next year. Sounds like quite the trip, eh? Well, I had quite a bit of travel time to think about a lot of things, and I was also able to discuss a lot of things with my new friends. I only hope that I don't forget what I have learned. I also hope that each of you has had or will have an experience like this where you are forced out of your comfort zone and made to have a good look at yourself. It is most rewarding and enriching.
Don't get me wrong though, it was a great trip and all, but I was more than ready to come back to the States and Furman and home. I love it here in America - I am definitely more appreciative of all the little things I took for granted - like free water and bathrooms. I guess I had assumed those were basic human rights, but no. We sure are spoiled here, and I didn't even go to a third world country where people truly are deprived of basic human rights.
So I am home for this week (spring break) and then head back to Furman on Saturday, March 3, for spring term! I love spring term at Furman! Get excited!
