Vivere Italy

The end of the Race was hard, what with all the processing, the emotions, different unexpected situations presenting themselves…the list goes on; however, we were presented with the gift of 10 free days (vacation basically) in order to celebrate all that God did through us and to relax before venturing back into the US. We were told we could go anywhere and that we’d get a basic amount of money to use for whatever we needed to get there, and the rest would have to be covered on our own budget. And one more thing: we had to have at least 2 other people to go with us to wherever we wanted to go; we heard about this gift during our time in Turkey debrief, so we had a couple months to plan it out with our people in our off time. So, where did all of us end up? I went with a group of 7 other people to go off into the cities of Rome and Sicily in Italy, another group went to Greece, another to Egypt, some stayed in Romania and then the remainder of us went to both Morocco and Egypt. As most of you know, I didn’t have enough at first to go, but because God is so abundant in all that He does, he provided those funds for me through some of my lovely supporters and prayer for rest and relaxation through others as well. 

Italy was a dream and I’ll go back there one day I’m sure. In Rome, we were pretty much booked for the three days we were there, exploring the streets and adventuring out to the infamous landmarks and different building throughout Rome. The coffeeshops were wondrous, the people were super friendly, the weather was absolutely PERFECT and the company just added to the experience. In those 10 days, the people we were with became another team in themselves and it was so sweet to have time to explore a place I’ve longed to go to for years because I am part Italian and wanted to see my roots as well. My grandmother lived in Italy for a time; whether or not she was born there I don’t quite remember (though I think she was born there), but to walk in a place with so much history and beauty all around me? It was one of the best feelings. Even though I saw such beautiful landmarks and infamous Italian architecture, my favorite part of Rome was the people I did minister to (a little; fortunately for the internet, I can still contact them to talk more at some point) and the rustic beauty that is the Italian roads/alleyways. Also, I’m obsessed with anything lemon, coffee, chocolate and wood-crafts related and there was the Limon store (everything was lemon), Pinocchio stores, coffee shop around every corner and a chocolate shop with a chocolate WALL!

For the remainder of our days in Italy, we went to a small beach town bordering the Mediterranean Sea in Sicily. The nearest grocery store was a mini ma and pa store with VERY basic commodities, a single pizza joint, a seaside bar that sold Italian gelato and snacks and a beautiful expanse of sea a minute walk from our home for the week. It was blissfully peaceful, no distractions in sight, and there were horse-back rides along the beach (that I didn’t get to be a part of because they were organized out of a resort, but I loved to watch them walk on the beach and to have a chance to pet them too). The first couple days in Sicily, I was mostly stuck inside because I got sick out of nowhere, but the minute I was better, I spent SO much time of the early hours with God on the beach, no phone with me, no earbuds, just me, God, my pen, journal and my Bible, staring out at the sea. And because we became friends with the people who leant us the bnb, we were able to find a place to take us on a boat tour out to another part of the island. 

Not only was the water absolutely perfect in temperature, it was clear enough to see all the fish swimming far beneath our feet while we were able to jump off the boat a couple times and enjoy a float in the sea. We played card games, sunbathed on the deck and we had a chance to shop at some really cute Italian boutiques along the island we were taken to, spending time in some of the local restaurants and coffee shops, while having the opportunity to go out and swim. The seaside was pretty busy, so the most we did was put our feet in, but while we were waiting on the boat to return, we found a hidden cove to swim around in away from the crowded seaside. It was such a perfect day to spend time with some of my squadmates and our new friends, the boat staff. We were also able to visit another part of Sicily, the beautiful city of Palermo, where we had planned on shopping…but we ended up exploring the area instead because we had arrived on an off day (because that’s our luck; however, it’s exactly what I knew I needed and for that I’m grateful). 

Our time of vacation really was the perfect way to initiate our rest and ease our way into the re-entry of US culture; keep on a lookout for my re-entry blog. I’m taking one day at a time and trusting God every step of the way.