Hello all,
It’s good to be home once again, though I am suffering PRD (Post-Rome Depression). However, my bed feels amazing, Coop’s and Skyline tasted delicious, and cuddling with my dogs was priceless. Oh, and not to mention my best friend from whom I’m inseparable is home (Kelly, duh)! I was nervous to come home at first because I knew nothing would be as extraordinary as the trip, but now, I’m feeling as if the trip gave me a lot to think about and enough time to refresh after the school year and get excited for summer. I can now move forward.
I don’t want to go abroad for the semester next year, I’ve decided. Yes, UC sometimes overwhelms me, it is true, but that’s because the every day life of any person is overwhelming. If I lived in another country for 6 months, that country would become the “every day” I’m trying to run away from. There would be good days and bad days, and I wouldn’t embrace every moment because the moment would be longer. In Rome, the trip was so short that I had to breathe in every second of it. I want to do more trips like Rome through honors that are short and sweet; I see the culture, and it’s amazing, but I come back. There’s no use sitting here and thinking of where I could be; I need to embrace where I am.
Rome made me realize a lot about myself, and it helped me fall in love with life all over again. I went on the trip stressed from exams and moving back home and leaving behind my beautiful campus that housed all my beautiful friends, but I came back feeling fresh and new. I’m one of those people that likes to be alone A LOT, and I was worried Rome would be overwhelming because of being with people 24/7, but in fact, I found that I like it, and I have a great ability to care about people, and I want to explore that more and stop isolating myself so much. Netflix has been a good friend to me, but I’m ready to move on 😉
Rome also made me realize that I may not be the next Lizzie McGuire, but I am the first Elysse Winget, and that’s pretty cool too. I don’t know where I’ll end up going next on a trip, but I know that the longest trip I will take will be the one here in Cincinnati and I look forward to a summer full of new experiences and the people I’ve grown so close to!
Thanks for keeping up with my blog throughout the trip! And now… arrivederci!
-Elysse