waiting for departure

So my last post must have affected me more than I thought, since on Thursday I found an excellent deal on a ticket, snatched it up...

and today I'm already sitting at the airport waiting for departure...

...to Rome!

I'm going just for about a week, but I had some time and couldn't pass up a great deal I found on airfare. Unfortunately, I'm the only 1/2 going, since it was a bit last minute...but Chris is excited for me to bring home a bag full of Italian treats! It's nice being able to just feel like I can grab a ticket and go, and that it doesn't have to be too much of a big trip-planning ordeal - it kind of makes it feel more like another home to me, knowing it's familiar and I have wonderful, hospitable friends to stay with, say hi to, or with whom I can at least grab a coffee.

I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to be doing, and where I'll be going. I just know that I'm arriving in the Eternal City and over the course of my trip I'll spend some time there, in the Umbrian countryside, maybe a coastal visit, and of course, Florence.
Mainly the "doing" part will include enjoying lots of friends, double-cheek kisses, and laughs...all I'm sure, over some sort of food. Plus lots of walking...


Things I'm looking forward to:
language. I really miss being immersed in this and making my brain work a bit harder everyday. I'm excited to brush up on my skills as I'm sure they'll be a bit rusty when I first arrive.

buon caffe. I love that "good coffee" is an expression just as common as "good day" and that it's a directive just as much as it's a pleasantry. I don't have coffee very often, but that changes when I'm in Italy...a quick stop at a bar will probably be one of my first stops off the plane. Because even at the airport cafe, you can count on a pretty decent espresso.

drama. This goes along with what I almost wrote "the pace"...but even when the pace is slower, it's still dramatic. I like that even the miniscule interactions carry a form of showiness of gestures or methods that is unique to the culture. I think it hit me more and more when we lived there that this is true...even one of our language professors mentioned that everyday for Italians is like a play, and they all have parts and make it as dramatic as possible.

old. Chris and I have been talking recently how there's just something different about living among things that have so much history and past lives. There's something that permeates the atmosphere. It never stops amazing me when I walk the streets of Florence or Rome that so many happenings have existed on these same streets.

That's all for now...just gearing up for the long flight. I can't wait to tell you more about it though...

a presto!