Rome via Brooklyn

625 words, 3 minutes read time.

The day starts off strong, and the intense temperature of Rome already teaches me a lesson at the beginning of the day: I realized I once again overpacked💔; packed too many unnecessary items in case of accidents that never happen. It got worse when my backpack absorbed the sweat on my back, the moisture then cooled down and just clung to my bare back💀, is the same feeling as wearing wet socks. I would also say that traveling with a backpack on a train was not the best experience, especially when the train is packed with people and you have to multitask in an overstimulated environment: maintain balance and manage the space/posture within waves of people. 

Thinking with a positive mindset, I can rephrase that as: “I took a loooong walk while carrying some weight today. Yay, workout goal.🤓”. Use this opportunity as a lesson to develop better decision-making skills on the aspect of packing for trips and travels. 

I love how nature took over a major portion of the historical leftovers(the architectural ruins); they are blending in quite well. But I gotta say, it is difficult to imagine the building structure in its original form and people living in it based only on the foundation leftovers of the structure.

 I was having an internal debate of whether or not I should pick a few flowers to keep in my notebook as tokens of memory, but the moral part in me took over and suppressed the urge. Thinking about it now, the matter doesn’t seem to be so important. On the other hand, the mosquitoes found me to be delicious, the pain of being Type O blood💔.

The moment I tasted the orange in my mouth after walking under the burning sun all morning, I felt liberated on a spiritual level. Ordinary things taste way better after you have challenged yourself to do things you usually would not have done.

The beach experience was different than what I had imagined/expected in mind: fewer people, the sun would be gentler, and the sand would be comfortable or at least tolerable. I was overstimulated by many things. The sand beneath my feet is so hot, it made me feel like a cup of Turkish coffee being cooked in a cup. The sun on top of my head made me feel like I’m being roasted from all angles, a full 360° like a kebab on a stick. All these add up together is a little bit too much for someone who always spends their time indoors.

I GOT MY FIRST SUNBURN🐺 !!! A-O-o-o-O-o-O-w!!! My arms and legs are now different colors from my torso🐺! I feel like a well-baked piece of pastry out of the oven. The acne scars on my back and shoulders are gone for that reason. It turns out going out more is beneficial 🤓.

Another tiring day has passed, and the free weekend is ahead. I was exhausted. The moment I touched my pillow after the shower, my brain just disconnected and went straight to hibernation. Tomorrow I’m going to sleep so much that nothing will wake me up, not even earthquakes.