A Heartfelt Goodbye

I can't believe it is over. I can't believe it. You take it for granted, living here, working, walking the streets...

Our group is tight now, bonded tight by the hardships of summer heat and sharing a bathroom. All apartments too. From group dinners to bar nights, we joke continuously and know each other a little deeper. I will always remember Amanda's big hair and crazy eye stare, Mike and Nick lispy Britishman voice, Greg's epic stance and constant adventure mode, Sally's sweet taste for gelato and sharp tongue for sas, Dan's many adventurous dates, Brad's obsession for seafood and pasta, Aaron's obsession for caffe, and Eric's "liter-of-beer adventures" and British accent.

Our apartment is espcially close. Stories of shower battles and laundry order, strange smells and eaten leftovers ring through our summertime here. I will definitely miss Travis cooking dinner for all of us most of the evenings but these hot days can bring about a bad stank! Or Mike's obsession with being on time, and getting ready to go for the bus at 6am only to catch the wrong one, ending him back late with us. We must stick together! We made a habit of using our courtyard as the outdoor smoking-wine-drinking-discussion room, activating the unfrequented space better than our neighbors. We played a lot of Gin Rummy thanks to Anne, who can also be accredited the mass amounts of garlic and spices, ecentric music (thanks Langdon), and chariacture-sketches. Brittney could be accredited with the blow-dryer going off in the am, which she miraculously went with out for two weeks before she cracked. Our outgoing behaviors often dragged Laura into the fun and we shared stories of high school and our lives back home. Good nights. Good times.

Anne once said, "Trips are completely dependent on the people and lives you go and interact with". I'd say this trip was pretty strong in that sense. These are the things we learn outside the classroom, about ourselves and each other. Rome was a fantastic venue for an unforgettable summer.