Life As I Know It: Roma Roma Mia

Still can't believe this was real life.

Editors Note: Please excuse my lateness on this post, but I figured better late than never :)

Okay this is actually Budapest… but I kinda left a piece of my heart there too!

4 countries, 18 cities and 100 amazing days later, I am back in the grind. The adventure I had waited for what seemed like forever came and went in a glimpse. I no longer wake up to the noise of nuns protesting, run downstairs to get my daily cappucino from a little old man named Giovanni, get harassed on the metro on the way to school or pass by the Vatican on my nightly runs. It still seems crazy that just a few weeks ago, Rome was my home and Italian life became the norm. The pavement I walked held more story then the entire state of California. But as they say… "all good things most come to an end." My trip may have come to an end, but the learning, memories and friendships made have not. What happens in Rome, does not have to stay in Rome and nor do I want it to. I am proud of the journey I made and the impact my trip has made on the rest of my life.

Yeah, all the dessert was to die for. Brought a new meaning to death by dessert

If you knew me prior to my trip, you knew I could not wait to go to Italy. It could not come soon enough; September could not come quick enough. I landed in Florence on the evening of September 6 and despite my rough flight, late night and inability to adjust properly to time change, it all felt so unreal. I was here, in Italy, afters months and months of waiting. Yet the next night when my parents dropped me off, things became very real and actually a little depressing. I was going to be away for a long long time (or so it seemed at the time) and despite all the wonders and glories that Europe had to offer… my family would be miles and miles away. In that moment, my eagerness quickly faded and I was left standing with a room full of suitcases and a handful of Kleenex.

In true Lydia fashion, the homesickness comes right away and as fast as it comes, it also leaves. Looking back today, Italy gave me the journey and adventure of a lifetime. I lived with 5 other girls, each of us so vastly different.. in personality, in style, in belief and in daily routine. But that was the beauty of 114 Viale di Trastevere, we learned to live, compromise and communicate with each other and came to find that maybe we weren't so different from each other after all. We all had the same fears, failures, heartbreaks and heartaches.. we all missed our families and american food and venti sized lattes.. and at the end of the day, all we wanted to be is to be understood. Perhaps some of us will cease to exist in each others lives and some of us will only strengthen our newly grown friendships, but the point is that we grew on our own because we grew together.
People ask me why I chose Italy and apart from the obvious response of "why not?" there is another part to the story. My political science program at Point Loma may have required a semester abroad, but it was something I knew I wanted to do long before I even went to school. I always knew I wanted to go abroad and was set on London for years but one day, something within me changed and to be honest, it wasn't my choice, it was made by the man upstairs. I had prayed about study abroad for a long time and one morning I woke up with complete peace and confidence just knowing that Rome was it. It was settled and done and doubt never again crossed my mind.

The roommates: (from left) Alysa, Antoinette, Me, Carly, Anna, Ashley

I ended my journey with the same way I started: a room full of suitcases and a handful of Kleenex. As the clock struck 5AM and my taxi driver loaded the car, the feeling hit that it was all over. No more late nights strolling the city and no more eating gelato in front of the Pantheon. No more weekend trips to Paris and no more excessive pedestriantism. But most importantly, no more of the girls who I have become so near and dear with. Over time our walls and assumptions had come down and we realized how much we like each other. We saw each other at our worst and at our best.

Impromptu photo-shoot in Aspra

Being italian means throwing your hands in the air constantly.

Braved the cold for the Roma Soccer Game. Ole ole ole!

When a Russian and an Italian combine forces, we're pretty much unstoppable.

I am especially thankful that I got to make this journey with a friend from home, Antoinette (gorgeous girl in the blue shirt). In San Diego, we knew each other because of frequent classes and now we know each other because we went through it all: tears, laughter, travels, adventures, 4 am walks home, Italian men harassment and having our clothes ruined by LMFAO. Lets just say we are pretty much friends for life… and we have no other choice… we know way too much about each other now ;).

Carly. Carlisle. Carlita. Carl.

Second, I met a girl who will always be a friend for life. My roommate Carly and I began study abroad not really talking to each other. I thought she didn't like me and she thought we would never have anything in common. Yet, now being back in California, we talk on the phone regularly and harass each other with embarrassing cat pictures. Carly challenged me, in the most positive sense of the word. Her and I would take 3 hour runs to the Vatican as we pondered life's biggest questions: love, faith, growth, interpersonal relationships, the future and how to not gain 34973947120 pound abroad. Carly never let me get away with simply giving an answer. My answers had to be supported with examples and if Carly didn't get it, she was never afraid to say so. She is like no one I have ever met. She is simply Carly. She has such passion for the things she does and she always gave, without remorse. I loved coming home to freshly baked sweet breads or a tub of nicciola gelato. I cannot imagine not knowing her and well Carly, you're now stuck with me as well.

I am so happy to be back in San Diego, and all moved in into a beautiful apartment overlooking the city and nightly free firework shows, courtesy of Sea World. San Diego is now home but part of my heart belongs to Rome. Italy enriched my life in countless ways. It taught me to enjoy every moment and take my time; to not worry about the unknown because it will be okay; to be assertive and get things done; to take time to be on my own and simply explore; to see how another part of the world works and to appreciate my own world even more; and finally, that no matter where in the world one may go, EVERYTHING pales in comparison to being home with the people you love. Relationships make the world go round. Oh and a few scoops of gelato don't hurt either.