Envoi (6/5)

Well, I suppose this is it.  I find it somewhat amusing that my final assignment at Skidmore is a blog post, but quite honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.  It allows me to express myself with an intimacy that a final paper can't quite capture.  The last two days have been largely spent reflecting on my time in Italy and adjusting to life back in America.  On my way home from the airport, my dad and I stopped for food in New Haven, and after we left I found myself looking for a gelateria.  I had gotten so used to being able to just wander into a shop for a coffee or gelato, and I wasn't prepared for how much I would miss that.  But Rome meant more to me than just coffee and gelato.  I felt as though I was able to observe the passage of time in a way that I never have before.  I think the Theater of Marcellus is the best example of this.  The building consists of ancient arches, modern extensions of those arches, and modern apartments above those.  It was amazing to see the past integrated with the present, and it made me wonder about the future.  But there were also opportunities to focus on slightly more specific points in history.  Seeing the Colosseum for the first time made me stumble in awe, as did turning the corner to find myself face to face with the Pantheon (much to Professor Curley's amusement).  It was just so incredible to finally see these monuments I had known about and studied for many years among the hustle and bustle of Rome, and we saw so many of them.  The experience of seeing the pope was one of the more amazing things to happen in Rome, and this is coming from someone who is not religious.  I found myself enraptured by his speech, even though he was talking in a language I didn't speak.  The Capuchin Crypt was one of the more disturbing places I've ever been to, but I definitely enjoyed my time there.  Wandering the forum and imagining it as it was when Cicero walked through it might have been the highlight of the trip if it hadn't been for Ostia.  I really had no idea such an amazing place existed.  I totally felt like I had gone back in time.  I could close my eyes and imagine that there were ancient Romans walking beside me.  But what was most incredible was how I got used to these experiences.  We went to the Colosseum stop on the metro enough times that I began to expect it, though it never lost its majesty.  In many ways its similar to the experience of growing up in Concord.  I am surrounded by historical monuments, but they become part of my day, even though they are still special.  Rome became part of my day, and that's pretty amazing.  However, the biggest takeaway from the trip is the friendships I made.  Throughout the semester, I got to know everyone by sight and I knew the names of most people in the class, but I didn't really think I'd be able to become friends with everyone in 17 short days.  I was wrong.  I could not have asked for a better group of students or better professors with which to fly off to Italy.  I felt like we were all on this grand adventure together to try and appreciate as much of the city as possible, and I think we succeeded.  The course at Skidmore provided us all with a context with which to integrate new information that we picked up in Rome.  Even when we forgot something, it was easy to put the pieces back in place because we had an idea of the concept of Rome.  I miss it already.  I now am thinking about the next phase of my life.  I have some job interviews lined up and then will start thinking about a long term career.  I have no idea when I'll be able to see the rest of the world again.  But that's ok.  I don't think I'd want to take another trip anytime soon, because it wouldn't have a chance of living up to my time in Rome.  I have made friendships that I hope can last, and memories that I will definitely have until the day I die.  These really were two of the best weeks of my life.  I'm sad that it's over, but I'm so lucky that I was able to finish my college career in the best way imaginable.  Thank you all so much!