Rome via Brooklyn

1,027 words, 5 minutes read time – TRIPLE POST

I’ve been dreading this day, and this post. The final post on this final day of our time together. I’m an intense mix of emotions. Mostly, I’m incredibly sad. This trip has been a lot of things for me.

A family reunion. An escape from reality. A reaffirmation. A space to mourn and grieve. A brief journey of self-discovery.

I started off the day running last minute errands and shopping with Tina and Isabel. We started off at a handmade leather goods shop that Tina wanted to see (shout out Rednote recommendations)! I bought myself a few things and a gift for my boyfriend before we made our way to buy olive oil. I promised nonna I’d bring her back parmigiano, but she was pleasantly surprised to see the over 5 kilos I came back with for her. I also grabbed everyone some olive oil and a few other things.

After shopping, I went home to pack a little before my cousin picked me up so I could say goodbye to my aunt – Nonna’s big sister, and her last surviving sibling. It was an incredibly emotional moment for me because I couldn’t help but reflect on sisterhood.

Something I deeply regret is not seeing my sister for almost a year before she died. She was very sick, and because of that she refused to speak to any of us – my mother, my sisters, and I. Obviously, I never expected her to die, so I didn’t fight to keep her in my life or to resolve the issue because I assumed it would eventually resolve itself, like many issues we’d had before. Boy, was I wrong.

So when I think about Nonna and her sister, I feel this overwhelming sense of . . . urgency? I’m not sure that that’s the right word. But I feel that it’s so incredibly important that they see each other again soon. They’re both only getting older and sicker as the years, even the months, pass by, and no matter what happens – they absolutely need to see each other. My older sister and I are committed to making that happen, it’s just about convincing Nonna that she can do it. I know she’s scared to travel because of her health issues, but I am wholly committed to getting her back to Italy.

Eventually, my cousin came and picked me up and we drove to see my aunt. The waterworks were triggered immediately as I entered her house, the both of them comforting me as best as they could. We all laughed talking about how my mother and sister always cry whenever they would leave Italy also, so they weren’t too surprised. I was so happy to give them some gifts. They’d done a lot for me during my time here, so a little token of my appreciation was the least I could do for them. The visit was brief, and ended with more crying on my end, but also with the promise that I’d always have a place to stay with them whenever I got back.

I got back to the apartment with plenty of time to make it to dinner. I originally thought I was going to stay with my family longer, so I hadn’t planned on coming. I’m really glad I was able to partake in the final dinner together with everyone. When I arrived, everyone was scribbling away on these little notecards where we wrote down our favorite memories with each person on this trip, which I thought was a really sweet idea.

After dinner, I finally made it back to the apartment to finish packing – which was so incredibly stressful. I knew my bag was going to be overweight, so after a few hours of moving things between my luggage and my carryon, I succumbed to my fate and made my peace with paying the excess baggage fee.

The next morning, we packed ourselves clown car style into the taxi and made our way to the airport. I’d heard so many things about airport workers in Italy, and boy did they live up to their not-so-good reputations. The only silver lining in that whole ordeal was the guy at the counter who took pity on me and didn’t make me pay the excess baggage fee. Shout out to that guy, whoever he is and wherever he may be. I sat with everyone else at their gate until they got on their flights (mine was taking off a bit later) and that’s really the end of my airport adventures.

OVERALL REFLECTIONS:

When I first heard about this trip, I was hesitant to apply for so many reasons. I was afraid of taking that much time off at work. I was nervous about leaving Nonna alone for three weeks. And so many other what I now consider to be ridiculous reasons. Because the world didn’t end when I finally did something for myself. In fact, it just kept spinning and everyone managed just fine without me.

I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to come on this trip. These three short weeks have changed me in so many beautiful ways, and I’m excited to see what I do and where I go moving forward. I’m glad to have finally broken the ice on visiting Italy, and I’ll definitely make a point to go more often in the future.

Thank you to professor Yarrow for orchestrating this trip and bringing us all together. Thank you for giving me the chance to be selfish for once. Thank you for showing me what life could be like and opening even more doors for me down the line. Thank you for believing in me and constantly reaffirming me that I’m on the right path.

Thank you to you all for being an incredible group. Thank you for showing me incredible kindness and understanding as I navigated my grief (because I’m sure I wasn’t always my best self). Thank you all for teaching me new things. Thank you being my friends, and I hope to see you all in the fall. Thank you for making this an incredible trip.

And now, I leave you all with my favorite photos.