Italia in Fast Forward

Massarosa -> Viareggio -> Florence -> Venice -> Milan -> Pisa -> Naples -> Sorrento -> Vesuvius -> The Amalfi Coast -> Vietri Sul Mare -> Reggio Calabria -> Messina -> Taormina -> Castelmola -> Catania -> Mt Etna -> Vietri Sul Mare (again!) -> Siena -> Chianti -> Viareggio -> New York -> Baltimore

Any quesions?


Ok ok, so that doesn't really say much. Actually, if you hadn't read anything before this, that seemling random string of places seems absolutely non-sensical. Fortunately however, there is in fact a method to this madness.

What you see above is a brief itinerary of the three week adventure my parents & I completed. Now, in the interest of full disclosure I should say that my sister joined us for the first week, so from Massarosa to Pisa, we got to see Italy as a full family. Afterwords however, it was back to the triumphs and tribulations of the Rosen Trio.

Basically the trip consisted of short "sprint" drives where we would cover a few hours on the autostrada and stop wherever the scenery became most interesting. WIthout that mentality, I can almost guarantee we would've never enjoyed the company of an amazing family that took us in in Vietri Sul Mare, or the hilariously dysfunctional Mother-Son culinary team we met at a restaurant on the top of a mountain in Castelmola. Honestly, it had its frustrations, but it really was an amazing way to travel. As I'd anticipated, my Italian certainly was pushed to it's bounds as it became more and more clear that simply trying to converse with people for 6 months does not make you anything close to a countrymen. There were mixups and fudges of seemingly monumental proportions, but of course when it all came into perspective, I can only be thankful for the chance to see everything as we did.

I do have to mention though, when i finished my time with Sandra & the gang at Toscana Saporita, I felt that I had reached a comfortable end. I felt as if we had our time, but it was time to do/see something else. However, as I stared out the window of our plane and the engine's thrust squished me back into my seat, the scenery began to pull away, and the idea of going home finally set in, I developed a bit of a pit in my stomach. I couldn't believe that I was leaving. More so, I felt physically disturbed. It was as if my organs had decided to stay, but my body was being dragged along. For the first time, I really felt very unhappy with the idea of leaving, and it hit me hard.

As we cruised at 30,000 ft over the Atlantic I thought about it more and more:

What had I really set in motion by coming home?

Where am I going now?

and more importantly, How on Earth am I going to get there?

Honestly, I have no idea. BUT, I will say that living abroad made a lasting impression on me. For the first time, I truly understand what it's like to walk in an ex-pat's shoes.

A few years ago I had an intimate relationship with someone who took time to live abroad. When this person returned home, I had no doubt that something was different. A lot had remained the same, but there was something intangible that truly altered our dynamic. When I stepped off that plane and thought about seeing my friends again it dawned on me. For the first time in my life I understand that position. I don't know exactly what's changed, but I feel different. I feel as if, although the physical distance is gone, there is still some psychological distance between myself and people at home. It's as if there's some force imposing this feeling outside of my control, and I truly wonder when I'll feel fully welcomed back into the world of living as an American. I mean, to go back to my previous point, I'm sure I did what I could to maintain consistency a few years ago, but I'll tell you, I never expected the other side to be like this. To this person's credit, it takes a hell of a lot to re-calibrate back to being home. I don't know if I'll ever fully adjust, but I can say for sure, this will not have been my last ExPat experience.

The bug has bitten....


Let see when the itch comes back. =P

Until next time, CIAO!

(oh, and pics to come... don't worry! I'm transferring to a new computer so it may take a bit)