How Was Italy?

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How was Italy?

“How was Italy” is the question that I have been asked over and over the past week. And, then comes the question, “Are you glad to be home”? When I am asked about Italy, my face just explodes in excitement as my brain inside of my head is working to figure out what to say and how to explain it. Seriously, how does a person explain softly the details, beauty, and history of Italy? I personally can not do it in any small way as all of you that know me are sure of the fact that I am not a girl of few words. As a I conclude the assignments with this final blog about my trip, I am busy with all my other worries at home that I left behind. I am not complaining about that at the least, but I was quickly slammed back into the world of “My Old Kentucky Home and Life”, and it is good. Shaky, but good.

After traveling for around nineteen hours, that I stayed awake for, I was greeted at the airport with a beautiful bouquet of roses by my husband and my two youngest children, Grace who is seventeen, and Greg who is twenty-six. It was only eight -thirty in the evening and they had missed momma terribly and they were hungry! We headed off to get a sit-down meal at Applebee’s before heading to the hotel. While sitting and looking at the menu I was so in love! My mouth watered at the sight of Steak and massed potatoes and gravy! I was so excited to get that meal and savor every bite. The sad part was, I was so tired that I could only eat about half of my plate. But, I enjoyed every one of the many American tastes that were flowing around in my mouth to say the least. It was no problem though, I was again together with my husband who finished off my plate for me. Its always been a team effort with everything in our family. Back at the hotel, I went through my luggage to find the surprises that I had brought home to everyone. I was so tired, and my fatigue clouded my mind to the point that I couldn’t find anything easily. I found my PJ’s and headed to the bathroom where I had a very hot, long awaited soak. Yes, a bath in a hotel bathroom. Pretty disgusting, yeah? Well, after being in a very crowded area where people were so close to each other walking as they brush against each other just to get where they are going, I feel like that, and multiple airplane rides, could not contain any more of a cesspool of germs than I had already been exposed to. Dipping into a tub of hot, hot, hot water after only having showers for the past three weeks and going home to a house that only has stand up showers was just what this girl needed. And, I was right. I was snoring before my head hit the pillow, according to my husband and my sweetly grown children. The next morning, we continued to our home that was still at least three hours away. It was sunny and as I looked out the window, it seemed so bare. Of course, it is winter here and there are no leaves on the trees. There is very little green, and everything is so spread out. It was then that I realized just how condensed life is in a city such as Florence. I had the feeling of taking in a deep breath as if I had been packed in to a sardine can. As we arrived home, by fur babies were inside having a fit as I tried to unlock the door. They clobbered me and cried with joy as I expected them to do what seemed like forever. I pulled my stuff through the house to my bedroom. There it was. My very own bed. If you don’t know, I love my bed! After laying on a very small, thin mattress for three weeks, my therapeutic, memory foam mattress with two-inch cushions on both sides was waiting calmly for me to return. I smoothly climbed in and laid my head on my cooling gel pillow and slipped off into dream land again until church the next morning. Where everyone wanted to know, “How was Italy”?

I am not good with writing my thoughts on paper. Most of the time, I can not even figure out all that is in my brain to have a clear thought for myself. But, what I can say is that the trip was extraordinarily beautiful. The passion and love that that town holds not only to itself, but to everyone that visits is unspeakable. Many things are so different from here in the United States, yet so cantingly the same. As we learned their culture in many areas, I found that They are hard workers that take pride in their jobs, themselves, and their community. I feel that we have lost this in so many places in the United States. I enjoyed seeing the baby buggies everywhere. It was so chilly at times, but those babies were all bundled up with only their little faces showing. The people in Europe relish in the idea that fresh air is good and healthy. I believe that they are right. They open their windows at least one time a day and do not use air conditioning. Here in America we seal all our windows, use forced air and heat through dusty vents in our home to stay comfortable. I think they may be right in this area of health. Un like that, there are people smoking everywhere! I did not expect to see people smoking. Why? I can’t answer that other than I thought that that was just an American habit. On the other hand, the drug usage and abuse does not exist there like it does in America. It is highly controlled there and if caught even smoking marijuana, the children are taken away and given up for adoption with out a second chance. It is serious business there. In my three weeks of visiting there, I did not see one child yelled at, talked to crossly, spanked, corrected in any way even with positive reinforcement, or even acting up for that matter. I’m not going to say that that doesn’t happen, its just that I did not see it in public. I observed many children with their grandparents and this warmed my heart because they seemed to be enjoying themselves very much with each other. Many grandparents in America end up taking the roll of the parent and are usually not established and still working to provide a means of survival. I observed children as a class at some of the museums drawing the statues. They were early elementary aged maybe second graders and they had the concept down of what they were looking at and what they were supposed to be doing. I did not see the teachers; however, I know in my head that they were there somewhere. The students simply sat in a line on the bench and drew. Our children in most of America do not have this kind of one on one exposure to seeing in person the real art. Our teachers try their best to explain it by using pictures, watching videos. There comes a certain respect for the art and the artist by seeing the creations in person and it is breathtaking. There is a calming effect that comes over you and causes you to stare at the object with tears in your eyes at some points. Another difference is the size and storage of the kitchen. We have huge refrigerators and freezers in our homes in America, but in Italy, they can buy fresh foods in the market everyday and do not have the need to store food like we do for the whole week or month at a time. One thing Id like to add that I hated the most about Italy, and do not miss at all is that horrible sewage gas smell every where you go. I can not live easily with that and some might say that you get used to it? Not this girl. Oh, and don't forget the bodily odor. I just can not handle those two smells! I like my cotton clothes on my husband and boys drenched in fabric softener before and during the time in the dryer. They do not use wither of those things in Italy. I guess I am a little spoiled in this area as a mamma.

As I am home and trying to catch up in my classes that I missed while I was in Italy, my new professors have just been wonderful. I appreciate their support to our experience to study abroad. It has been busy, busy, busy again. I drive two hours to Richmond one way every day but on Fridays and my longest day is on Tuesday when I leave my house at seven thirty AM and return at ten o’clock PM. Then on Wednesdays, as soon as I get home it is church time until about eight o’clock PM. I have to say that I have not had time for the jet lag to hit me although today was my first day that I was able to sleep in except for last Saturday. I am so overwhelmed at the fact that I was able to attend this study abroad through EKU and AEF. Every teacher that attended from EKU, and every teacher that was from Italy gave total devotion, passion, and love of history, culture, food, art, and travel to the learning experience and blew this trip out of the water! I learned way more than I ever have or expected to in this class. As I end here in my final blog, I want to thank all the people who worked so hard to make this study abroad possible for me and the other students of EKU. The preparation was above and beyond, and the experience was like non-other. SO, Thank you to this side of the sea to Dr. Bush, Dr. Kipp, Mrs. Herrington for all of your hard work in planning and leadership (babysitting..caugh..caugh.), to our President and Administration for allowing this opportunity to happen, to the study abroad office for the organizing of the logistics of travel and paperwork, and last but not least Antonio and his staff in Italy. You have all left a life time mark on my life that I will be telling about for the rest of my life. Don’t worry though, if I can’t explain something I will just pull out one of those over three thousand pictures that I took along the way to help. Sincerely, Mrs. Marona.

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