Tuesday, December 6, 2011

The trip has come to an end, and I will be home in Billings in two days.  Last night the Villa prepared an amazing Thanksgiving meal for us.  They had a 33 pound turkey, cooked potatoes, pasta, appetizers, bread, eggplant, stuffing, green beans, jam instead of cranberries, wine, sangria, and chocolate pie for dessert.  It was an incredible meal.  We hung up art from printmaking and drawing, and Rossella invited several of her friends from the community to attend.  Roberto and his sister came also as well as Antonella, Catia our Italian teacher and her family, Marina, and others.  I sang while Ben accompanied me on guitar, and we gave gifts to the family and staff at the Villa for being so kind to us over the past several weeks.

Everyone seemed to be in an excellent mood, and it was a great way to close the trip.  Meg put together a slide show which included pictures from the entire trip.  It really hit me how much we have done and seen over the past few months, and I found myself remembering the highlights of the trip.  I particularly enjoyed the first two weeks of travel.  While they were exhausting, I felt I saw so many things I have wanted to see for years, and I consider myself very lucky that I was able to experience all that I did on this trip.  One of my favorite parts of each day at the Villa was the runs Maggie, Johan, and occasionally Ashley, Meg, and Melissa P. would take.  We would cross over into the town of Migiana and run up hill through town and down back around the Villa.  While most drivers seemed to think we were crazy, it was one of the only times I didn't feel like a tourist.  Running in Italy is one of the things I will miss the most.












While this trip is not at all what I expected, and not entirely wonderful, I am very happy I came.  I do not think I would want to live in Italy, but I respect what I experienced.  It is a great place with so much culture and history, and it made me think a lot about myself, my goals, and my place in the world.  The trip helped me remember to be thankful for all that I have and the many wonderful people in my life, and it also encouraged my love of travel.  While I do not think I will pursue Drawing, Art History, or Printmaking as professions, I loved learning about all of them.  I know this experience has made me wiser, more thoughtful, and more aware of myself in many ways.  With that, I know it was absolutely a worthwhile journey.

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