God Bless the USA

We got up Wednesday morning and headed to the airport which was about fifteen minutes from our hotel. Our fairy tale of living in a foreign land has come to an end. We now shift our focus on the realities that have become our own lives. Since Yvonne was flying back separate from us, on a different airline, we went our separate ways at the Leonardo Da Vinci Airport in Rome. Our flight was scheduled for 11:00 am, Bertha, RJ and Robert headed to Chicago, a ten hour flight, then on to LAX where cousin Ron was there to pick us up. Thanks again Ron! This time, there were no delays and we arrived safely at LAX about 7:30 pm (for us it was 4:30 am).

I got a call from Yvonne, at what seemed like 11:30 pm, stating that she had arrived safely but was delayed an hour somewhere, we were fast asleep at the time of the call, sorry Yvonne.

In retrospect, I would have done a few things differently. Even though we were always on our own, we always had a set agenda for each day, at that part worked out great for us. We were able to switch things around when needed, and even though we allowed certain days for rest and relaxation, at times, those days were not long enough. It took us too long to figure out that they were not going to serve us or even allow us to shop during their 3 hour lunch breaks. Too much time was lost trying to spend those hours productively. Although, it would have been difficult to carry a laptop computer around, we seemed lost without one at our fingertips. Many times we thought, "boy, if we can just get our hands on a computer". All in all, we did fine, and with the exception of a few things that were out of our control, we accomplished almost everything we set out to do and more.

We must travel, because it allows you to see things from another perspective. Travelling teaches a person to take nothing for granted, and that there are different means to ends. I never knew that there were so many different ways to flush a toilet! It isn't something we think about and we all are doing the same things, but they can be done differently and sometimes better. When traveling you have to always be on your toes, and you can't assume anything. One for instance, is that we assumed all of our accommodations would equip their toilets with a toilet seat. Most of the toilets oin Italy are void of toilet seats, I mean, the toilet would look like our toilets in our own homes if you removed the toilet seat. I still don't get that one. Of course, on one occasion, RJ found a bathroom that not only didn't have a toilet seat, but was without a toilet altogether! Just a hole in the ground. Traveling teaches you that not only are languages and cultures different, but body language gestures can be different, as well. There were times when I couldn't tell if someone was telling me off or trying to help me. The Italians speak very loudly with many gesticulations that to me sometimes make me think they are angry, when in fact they are just making conversation.

The one thing that I discovered that must be universal, is the act of smiling. When someone smiles at you it can mean nothing else other than, "I am open to questions and am willing to help you, if I can". There were many Italians that smiled at us, during our visit to their country. They are a kind, caring and compassionate people.

Of course, the ultimate realization that I am sure we all came back with is that the United States is the greatest country in the world and sometimes we need to leave her for a short stint to remind us. I am grateful for having the freedom and the opportunity to do so. God bless the USA!

Bob

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