home
It has been so strange different being home after living in Florence for three months. People have asked me if I had a hard time adjusting in Florence, but I truly didn’t. I was nervous on the way there, but when I entered into my apartment, I felt so content, as if I belonged there. I remember journaling during the first month that I wasn’t as pumped to do things as other people seemed to be, and looking back, I think it is because I felt I had all the time in the world to breathe and relax in Florence. I knew it would go fast, but I had no idea that Florence would seem like a whisper behind me. Am I the only one that feels that Florence was a dream? Florence has been the biggest adventure that I have ever had.
When I arrived at home, little to nothing had changed with my family, home, or California. After being picked up at the airport, when we pulled into the driveway, I got out of the car, glanced around, and started crying. My residential neighborhood felt too short - what happened to the tall buildings? The activeness of living in the city! The drunks walking in the street late at night - although that would freak me out where I live! Sitting in my living room, every piece of furniture felt overwhelmingly large, I felt like I was being swallowed. I have never felt that California had so little to offer; I felt that I had lived in one of the most active areas in the world. How wrong I was!
I miss everything of Florence, and I don’t know where to begin to describe it. Part of me wants to talk about it, because even now, I have a hard time remembering everything. I miss walking to Kim and Melissa’s apartment and going to the markets with them. I miss Kyra and Karlee adventures after 11 PM. I miss sitting with Jaclyn and talking. I miss my Baby singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” to me! I miss the girlies!
Now home, so much and so little has changed. I feel restless with a life that I once lived. I have changed so much, but California and all its wrappings have changed so little. But adjusting back home, this will have to be my next adventure, because it is hard. It’s hard coming home and expecting to live the same life as abroad. Now I have to answer to my parents again. They question everywhere I go, who I talk to, et cetera. It’s not a problem - it is just a pain in the ass different.
I am going to be starting work at Nordstrom this week, and I am excited to start that adventure. I am looking forward to a great summer with the friends that I made in Italy. I have one year left at my community college, and I am excited to move forward. I will always love Florence, and I will always hold Florence close to my heart. And hopefully, Florence will come again!
If I remember one thing to hold true for myself, it would be never fear an opportunity, but to open its door with wide anticipation.
And I hope that for the rest of my life, I do the most with my life.