In about 2 months, it will be year since I returned to America from living in Italy for 9 months. I can't believe it. I feel like it has been forever since I was living in Torino. Everyday my heart aches for my city. I've enjoyed being back home in Texas where people speak English and I can buy spaghettios, I would give both of those up to be back in Italy. Every time I think about Italy, the people, the food, the overall culture and environment, I get so upset. The other day, I was writing an essay for the Honors College at my campus, and I wrote about Italy; I started tearing up just writing about my experience living there. It's the same as when I watch Eat Pray Love or any other movie that involves Italy. Sometimes I just feel as if I don't belong in America anymore, that I don't really belong anywhere. I miss traveling. I miss staying in shitty hostels consuming nothing but bread and coffee for breakfast. I miss not getting any sleep until I get seated on an airplane. I miss being able to walk, fly or take a train anywhere and everywhere, meeting a new person, with a new language and new culture every few feet. I miss exploring. Basically, I'm having a withdrawals as my wanderlust increases with my lack of continual traveling.
I am trying very hard to be patient as I finish college, so that I can get back out in the world. I'm going stir crazy just being stuck here attending classes day after day, going to work to serve people food. The only time I ever really satiate my adventurous fervor is when I go trail running. Soon there will be an even more exciting adventure come my way in May. My mother, father, sister and her fiance and I are all going to Ecuador for two weeks! I cannot wait, suuuuper excited! Once we land in Ecuador, that will be the fourth continent upon which I have explored. Only three more to go; although, I'm not really how certain I am about traveling to Antarctica, not that I'm against it. I just don't think this Texan can survive in that kind of cold for very long.
I just can't wait to see the rest of the world. I wish I could go ahead and begin exploring again at this moment. After seeing so much of Europe and a tad bit of Africa, I realize how amazing the world is and how much incessant beauty there is to experience. I don't even care if I sound like a naive hippie. I'm much happier with this kind of view. I'm just waiting. Waiting for the real fun to start again.
