Final Good-Byes

I remember first arriving in Italy. At first, I felt out of place in Florence. Florence was so strange and unfamiliar to me, and a semester abroad seemed like an eternity. I struggled to navigate my way through the meandering streets and to communicate with Italians – I remember just smiling perplexedly as a jumble of words would spill from the mouths of locals. I certainly loved Florence from the start but I could not envision Florence ever feeling like home, like a place that belonged to me as I belonged to it. Now, as I begin to pack my suitcases and say my final good-byes, I know with absolute certainty that Florence has become my home and the students on my program, strangers to me only four months prior, have become a family.

Yesterday we journeyed up to our favorite spot, Piazzale Michelangelo, and gazed down upon the city of Florence. We were all completely silent (which is unusual for us) as we absorbed this breathtaking view of the city for the final time. I could not even articulate the surge of emotion pulsing through me, the throbbing ache I felt as I thought about leaving Florence. After a while my friend shattered the silence, turning to us and saying “Guys, Florence is ours.” We all nodded in agreement, knowing that in some way Florence belongs to us.

Last night we enjoyed an apertivo with our professors and CET administrators. Over Prosecco and cheese we nostalgically discussed our favorite parts of the semester. (We even managed to converse in Italian!) I could not believe how much time had passed and how much we had experienced in these four months – in this time my professors became my good friends, my peers became my family, and Florence became my home.

On one of our first days in Florence all of the students of the CET program climbed the Duomo together. We gazed down upon a city that seemed so vast and unfamiliar. To me, the buildings were indistinguishable and the peers who had made the climb with me were complete strangers. Today – the day before our departure – we climbed the Duomo altogether for the second time. Gazing down upon the sprawling city we pointed out our favorite places as if we had lived here for years and lamented our departure. All of us were on the verge of tears, and we promised to return to Florence one day, together. I know that is a promise I fully intend to keep.