Before I left for Italy, I promised family and friends that I would blog at least every once in awhile about my adventures. I wrote two before coming to Urbino, and then just... didn't. Rather than sitting at a computer, I preferred hanging out in the
piazza (the main town square) with my best friends, reporting and interviewing for my magazine feature story, or spending time with the boy I met and grew close with over just a couple weeks. When I wasn't doing any of that, I was catching up on much-needed sleep or refueling at the
mensa (dining hall). So I don't apologize for not blogging while in Urbino-- my only regret is that now I'll have to try and summarize four incredible weeks now that I'm already home.
I've been home from Italy for five days, and each one has felt like the day after Christmas. I wake up, realize I'm not in my dorm in
Colle and won't be going to eat my daily croissant and cappuccino with my group, and just want to go back. I've been spending so much time on the computer looking at pictures and talking to my Urbino friends that my family and friends here don't think I like them anymore. Considering how much I miss my group and the town of Urbino itself, I think it's safe to say it was an absolutely amazing experience.
When the trip started, many of us were a little uncertain. The dorms were a long walk from the main part of town, we had no internet access, and the program seemed pretty disorganized. Once we started doing our reporting, we had some difficulty setting up interviews and finding interpreters, and a lot of our story ideas had to either be modified or changed completely. There was a lot of homesickness, frustration, and stress in the first week or two, but I knew it was all character-building. We learned about some of the challenges of international reporting, and we became close with each other along the way.
By the time the second week was over, I had completed all of my reporting and was starting to work on writing my feature article. My story was on cyclotourism: a form of travel via bike in which travelers see different towns and attractions, stopping along the way to explore and enjoy. Though it took forever, I actually found a place to rent a bike in a nearby town and did a little "cyclotouring" myself, along part of a route I'd picked up at Urbino's tourism office. I then drove the remainder of the course with an interpreter and did some interviews with the owner of a bike shop and a local triathlete. During my ride/drive, I discovered a few towns with rich history that are pretty much unknown to the average tourist -- you can read about them in my article, which I'll post here soon. I was working hard to get all of my reporting done before the weekend so I could travel, and I'm so, so glad I did.
A group of about ten of us chose Cinque Terre as our one big traveling adventure. It's a gorgeous set of five towns along the Mediterranean coast, all less than five miles apart. We hiked between the towns, stopping in each one to swim, shop, and snack on gelato/pizza/fruit. I walked down the Via Dell'Amore with Max... it was pretty perfect. And we ate amazing seafood at the same restaurant two nights in a row (because it was just so darn good.) Even though we failed in our plan to spend the night on the beach, sleeping on the balcony of our hotel listening to the nighttime sounds of Monterosso was totally worth it. We were sad to leave the magic of Cinque Terre, and a train strike in Tuscany made our way back to Urbino long and miserable, but our time there was some of the best travel I've ever done.
The third week was crunch time for writing our stories, which means many hours spent at the cafe and many euros spent on cappuccinos. Little sleep, lots of nail biting, and a strong need to blow of steam at night in the
piazza. This town square, with a fountain in the middle surrounded by a restaurant, pharmacy, cafe, and bar, become our second home. The businesses didn't even have names (not that we knew of, anyway) -- we just called them "the cafe" and "Giorgio's Bar." We spent at least a couple hours in the
piazza every night, and it's where most of our best memories were made. Some things I'll never forget: teaching the Italians how to play Thumper (the universal language), throwing everyone into the fountain at various times and for various reasons, watching the Italians graduate one at a time in their laurel crowns, ordering rum & cola over and over again from Giorgio, explaining the meaning of the word "lightweight" to the bartenders when Yue was too drunk, and giving everyone tearful hugs on the last night when we decided not to sleep before catching the 5 am bus to the airport.
That final week was an emotional one. We were doing the final edits and sidebars for our stories, but we had other things on our mind. We would be leaving each other soon, and while we were looking forward to being home, we were anticipating some tough goodbyes. My favorite memories from the last week: Canada Day / our friend SirRoan's birthday, which we celebrated at Bosom Bar and during which our Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalism professor snapped photos of us taking shots all night... "Pink Night," a themed, all-night party on the beaches of Rimini and Riccione that a few friends and I went to with no plan whatsoever, getting back to Urbino at 9:30 am still drunk and toting foam crowns and pink tulle fabric.. the 4th of July, when Giorgo's bar gave us half-price drinks and Q Club held an "Indipendance Party" that SirRoan DJ-ed... and our final meal as an entire group, a banquet at a restaurant across from the Duomo.
On the second-to-last night, things mellowed out when the boy I was with heard about the death of one of his best friends. As I helped him through that loss, knowing at the same time that it was my last two days with him and with the rest of my group, I spent a whole lot of time crying. I did a lot of reflecting on why I had come to Italy, what I had learned here and how it had changed me, and whether or not I'd made the most out of my time. I'm proud of the work I created and the skills I learned in terms of journalism and international reporting. I expanded my perspective beyond the bubble that is Boulder, Colorado, got to know a whole different way of life, and improved my Italian tenfold. Most of all, though, I'm really grateful to have met such amazing people, both Italian and American. I made a few friends that I know I'll keep for a very long time, and I met a boy who made the whole experience twice as special. Like my friend Maddie said, "You can't search for genuine experience, it has to find you and it will most likely kick your ass just as much as it heals you."
The sadness I've been feeling since being home is that kick in the ass, that proof that I've just had a life-changing adventure. I'm glad that I'm sad, if that makes any sense... because I know it was worth every minute.
Arrivederci, Italia -- I'll be back.
I just keep telling myself that if I work hard through this part of the summer, bear the heat and humidity, and rely heavily on my iPod, I'll be back to my team in no time. In three weeks, I'll be in the foothills of Boulder trying to survive "Hell Week" with old and new Buffs. I'll be moving into a cute, spacious house with two of my best friends and one teammate that I'm looking forward to getting to know better. I'll have a class schedule full of journalism and education classes (no more calc!), and I'll go back to the CU Independent as an experienced returning reporter. I may even have a job at Boom Yogurt Bar, a brand new Ripple-style joint owned by a couple professional triathletes, Matt and Kelly Reed. (Just sent in the application, so it'll be a little while before I know for sure!)
