Two and a Half Weeks


This morning I was up early to say good bye to my parents. Today, April 9, they leave Florence and head to the East coast to look at colleges with my sister, Laura. I had such a good time with my family this past weekend in Florence. I loved spending time with them and showing them around the city that has been my home for the past four months.

 
I so wanted them to pack me in their suitcase and take me home with them at the end of this weekend, but as the last glimpse of their taxi vanished in the distance en route to the airport, I realized I only have a short two and a half weeks left in Florence. Two and a half weeks until I am in the comforts of my own home, and reunited with my family. Two and a half weeks left to savor living in Florence: eating all the Italian food I can, spending time with my host family that I have become so fond of these past months and enjoying my new found friends. Two and a half weeks left to complete one paper, two take-home exams, one project, one Italian oral exam, and one final exam while trying to check off all the last minute things I want to do in Florence off my to-do list. While two and a half weeks seems so long when all I want is to be sipping a cup of coffee on my couch at home, it seems so short when I am eating dinner with my host family and I realize I only have so many dinners with them left. Two and a half weeks is definitely bittersweet.


Besides being the day my parents left, today is a holiday in Italy: Pasquetta. Basically it is the day after Easter where it is tradition to leave the home and have a picnic with your family and friends. Ali and I were planning on having a picnic of our own, but the temperatures proved a little too brisk for our liking. And if it was too chilly for us, it was definitely too chilly for the Italians. We ended up having the house to ourselves, so we made ourselves an indoor picnic and lounged. Two and a half weeks is definitely bittersweet.