Day 31: Begining of the end

Date 6-20-13

This is it. This is the day we were ripped from our homes and plopped on a plane practically without our consent. Typing about it right now surfaces memories of sadness that I would rather bury. I have to say that I have only cried a few times in my life over leaving something and this is one of those times. I know that the adventure is only half over and it isn't fair to my German Family to be so upset but I can't help myself. Part of me is still in Sicily and it always will be.

We had an early start to the morning. I ate breakfast by myself before trudging into my room and not so neatly packing my things into the bag I brought to the beach with me. I kind of sat on my bed staring forlonly at the wall until Giancarlo knocked and announced that it was time to leave. Despite his promise to not wake up to say goodbye, Mattia was waiting and we exchanged hugs and goodbyes. It was a pleasant surprise. It was also hard saying goodbye to Sofia and I'm fairly certain that she cried when she ran back into the house and wouldn't see us off.

The car ride into the city was quiet and I said silent farewells to the places we had visited as we passed them. Giancarlo and Mariella had to visit Mattia's school so Federico, Quinn, and I waited in the car. The day was pleasant and the sea was beautiful. When they got back, we drove around looking for a bakery. Since we had been in Italy for a month and not once tried a cannoli Giancarlo decided to treat us. They were filled with Ricotta cheese and topped with pistachios. I had two.

I figured that since I was only going to be in the country for a couple more hours I could indulge.

Full of sweet food, we drove back to the house in Pedara. I packed what little remained into my big suitcase and then layed on the couch and attempted to update all the Blogs I was behind on. We had MTV Music turned on and for a little bit I could picture that it was still the begining of the month and we had a lot of time left.

Giancarlo drove Quinn and I to the store and piled the cart with Italian snacks to take back on the plane with us. To this day I still haven't opened any. I have this silly idea in my head that if I preserve them all in their packaging, I will magically be back in Italy. Silly, but true.

When lunch time came around, I played around and voiced all the nostalgia I was feeing. Not only was it the last meal, it was the last time we would all joke around like normal. Quinn spilled food on himself like usual and I preserved the Memory of my last bite of psta in Italy.

 

 

After eating lunch, we had only a little bit left before it was time to make the final trip to the Airport. Giancarlo and Mariella kindly bought us some pastries to take to our parents and after zipping them into our backpacks, we said goodbye to the house and street and drove off.

I don't remember the drive very well because too many thoughts were going through my head. The car stalled at one pint and we all cheered saying that we could stay here after all even though we all knew that wasn't possible. None of it felt real even as we pulled up to the Airport.

Moving slowly, we Kind of jst hung around after checking our luggage, not really saying much of importance but not wanting to let go. It was quite fun making fun of the others there, especially the boyscouts running around selling things. Federico and Quinn were joking that the American Girl Scouts would beat the whole Italian Army. We slowly migrated tóward the security line. A couple of times we made comments that it was probably time to go but another joke would be made and we would stay a little bit longer. When it was finally time to say the real goodbyes, that is when I felt the first tear fall. They continued to fall until we were halfway to Germany.

 

I'm eternally grateful to Mariella and Giancarlo for taking us in. I know that we weren't perfect and weren't the best but they will always be my Family. I took a Picture on the plane of my tears.

 

I think the flight attendant thought I was ín Need of some serious assistance becuase she kept Shooting me pitying Looks and offering to get me things. I can't helpthat I was full on sobbing as I entered the plane. We were actually the last ones to check in because we went through security twenty minutes before the plane was scheduled to take off. My face was glued to the plane window throughout take off and until we were so high in the clouds that it was impossible to see anything so that I could soak in as much of the Island as possible. Here are pictures of my last few glances of home:

 

 

We were served some weird type of mustard meatball on the plane and that is how I knew we were in Germany. The ride was short and all of a sudden our surrondings were green and lush and I was seeing my parents and sister on the other side of security. It was a strange Feeling. I couldn't stop commenting on how weird it was being with them. Dodging my moms arms, I ran straight to Theresa and gave her a big hug. It was then when I noticed what she was wearing. Her friendsMiri and Anna accompanied her but her and Miri had decided to surprise me by Dressing in their typical german attire. It made me laugh and Forget about my saddness for the time being.

We had to take the Train to our Hotel and the whole ride Quinn and I were spurting out memories we had from our past month abroad. I think we amused the People around us because they were smiling as we animatedly told our stories. After checking our bags in and Clearing up the confusion of the two rooms, we decided to go to a beer garden for some typical german food. That meant taking the Train again. We arrived upon a Scene of People with high Spirits. Everyone had a beer and pretzel in Hand which I am demonstrating here:

We split a chicken and potato dumplings as well as german potato salad. I don't know how I ever lived before without that potato salad. Over dinner we spoke of our plans for the next day before Splitting up and heading back to our Hotel while the others left to go stay at Anna's place.

 

I'm not quite sure how to end this post. It was a day of bittersweet Feelings. I never ever wanted to leave Sicily but on the other Hand I love being with my sister. All I can say is that Italy does and always will hold the Special place in my heart of being the best month in all my life.

 

 

Day 30: Thank goodness for friends

Date: 6-19-13

I know, I know, I haven't updated in far too long. I wrote so many blog posts on Saturday morning that I got tired and procrastinated the rest. I finally have a stable internet connection though so I will put this neglected blog out of its misery.

The saddest part of the trip may be the day before you actually leave. You kniow what is coming up and have no way to stop it, desperately clinging to the hope that the night will last forever and tomorrow won't come. It never works although at the time the night seemed to stretch into infinity.

The day was fairly normal. We woke up at normal time and had breakfast as a family before heading down to the sea for a swim. We joked around with the surfboard and each other. Fabrizio joined us as well as two twelve year old girls from Austria. We were all pretty tired when we got out and changed before getting into the car for last time granitas. We had to drive into nearby Brucoli to purchase these delicacies for lunch.

I got chocolate, as usual. After eating, we wandered over to a castle that served as a jail. We weren't able to enter so we just hung around in the small square while Sofia played on the small playground.

There was nobody there. When I mean nobody, I mean that it was eerily empty. The only other person there was an old man and his smelly dog. The sun was hot so we drove back. I opted to stay back while Quinn Federico, and Mattia went on a walk. I joined them at the sea awhile later and talked to Giulia and her mom while the boys swam. When they finished, Luca joined us and we went on a walk that involved looping several times around the neighborhod. The Austrian girls followed us most of the way, always disappearing in a fit of giggles when we (Mattia) looked at them. We had fun staying just ahead of them and talking to their companion, a young boy named Edward.

At dinner time, I found out that all our beach friends were coming over for a goodbye dinner. Alberto (I'm not sure if I mentioned that he is Fabrizio's older brother and Simona's boyfriend), Fabrizio, Luca, and Giulia came. We had Italian hotdogs and a night to remember.

It's hard explaining how much the night meant to me. All these people had become family to me even though I had known them for less than a week. These videos are the best I have to describe our night:

I obviously couldn't capture everything or else I would have. I thought that these short clips gave a small taste of what our time together was like. We played Uno for awhile but that didn't last long because we were all very competitive and wanted to win.

I remember at one point we decided to go on a walk and sure enough the Austrian girls were out waiting for us. We talked to them for a little bit before the boys (hyped on gelato) took some crazy pictures.

 

I asked Giancarlo to take a nicer photo of us later.

(Giulia, me, Alberto, Fabrizio, Mattia, Federico, Quinn, Luca)

All too soon it was time to say goodbye to Giulia, Luca, and their families. Soon after we bid adieu to Fabrizio and Alberto as well and that was the last time we saw our beach friends. Already saddened, Mattia finally broke the news that he would not be traveling back into Catania with us the next day. Prepared to not see him for awhile, we said our goodnights to him before going to bed.

Day 29: Sunrise

Date: 6-18-13

Since the first day that we arrived at the sea house I have been saying that I wanted to get up and see the sunrise. Of course I procrastinated the date saying that I would do it the next day. Well, the day finally came and I did it. I saw the sunrise.

Because the sun here decides to wake up at ungodly hours, I had to get up at 5am. I had originally planned to go by myself but after much pestering I finally convinced Federico to go with me. So, us two tired tired young adults, got up and got dressed and walked down to the sea. It was light outside even though the sun had not yet risen so we could at least navigate the rocky shore to find somewhere to sit. I hadn't realized how calming it is to be the only ones awake.

Impatient with sitting, I paced around to a big clump of rocks and began climbing them. The next time I looked up the sun had appeared out of nowhere. A tiny glowing orb of orange. It looked so strange as if it were a balloon floating out of the clouds. All I could think of was the beginning of Lion King during the circle of life song.







































Tired and happy, we watched the sun until it was high enough in the sky to be bright enough to hurt our eyes before traipsing back home. Because it had already been an hour or so since we woke up, we decided not to go to bed but instead have breakfast. We made really healthy eating choices that morning.



Not wanting to wake anyone up, we decided to go on a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood and sea. When we got back and still no one was awake, Federico went to shave and I crashed on the couch and played on my phone. Finally it was like a switch went off and everyone woke up. I decided to eat breakfast with them because I was hungry again.

Ready to go after being awake for four hours, we went to the beach and had fun in the water before eating lunch. After food, we were all really tired and everyone at the same time took a nap. I remember waking up at 5pm groggy and unaware that I actually fell asleep.

We played cards and eventually decided to go back to the beach but not swim. Giancarlo told me that my parents weren't in Germany like I originally thought but were still in America so he drove me to the top of the hill so I could speak with them. While we were up there I was fortunate enough to witness the sunset as well. It was beautiful.



For some reason we decided to stay up really late after eating dinner. We went on a walk to the beach where for no reason at all I started crying. I think I was tired. After that episode, we talked for awhile and then went to bed.

Day 28: Cava Grande

Date: 6-17-13

So... Must of you reading my blog know that I hate exercising so when I say that I willingly chose to go hiking it might come as a huge surprise. Not only did I want to go to a place that literally means giant hole, I had to force Federico and Mattia to agree to come with us. We had a semi early morning as we had to get everything ready for the day. Giulia joined us for the day making it a full car. We each had two sandwiches, a soda, crackers, and a backpack full of beach gear that we were responsible for carrying. We stuffed ourselves into the car and drove the hour or so necessary to get there.

When you have to drive up a mountain to get to the start of the hike, it is never a good thing. My first impression of looking at the task in front of us was that it was impossible.












It was hard to get a clear photo from the top, but our task was to hike about forty minutes down the mountain on a natural path to get to a series of fresh water lakes in the middle of the valley. Forty minutes in the sun just to go downhill. And I chose this. We wet our heads and began our journey. Quinn and Mattia took off and were out of sight before long. Federico's knee was bothering him so he and Mariella took it slower while Giancarlo, Giulia, Sofia, and I went at a little bit faster than leisurely pace. My legs were shaking before we made if halfway down. It was beautiful though.
























The first lake was small and that's where we met up with Quinn and Mattia. Giancarlo scouted ahead while we stayed there until Federico and Mariella caught up.



The two girls on the rocks were boys obsession of the day. They were from France and the boys enjoyed following them around everywhere and showing off.

When everyone was together again, we walked the couple more minutes to the main swimming lakes. My jaw literally dropped when I saw them. It was absolutely worth the climb down.



























The higher peak in back of this photo is where we started the hike down.


















We quickly shed our clothes and jumped into the water. Luckily the rocks were smooth so we didn't even need shoes. It was cold but felt amazing and fresh. There was a smaller pool of water and a larger one where most people were swimming. We alternated between the two.

We spent about five hours just goofing around. There was a natural rock ledge that you could climb up and jump off of. Think Wakulla Spring's high dive but only rocks and no platform. Looking out at the waterfalls and the mountain you just climbed down was a surreal experience. It was beautiful standing there but even more beautiful jumping in. I was the first one in as per usual and the rush was incredible. We started at the smallest ledge but by the third time, we were scaling the rock face and making our own path to the top ledge. I think we set an example for the others because soon after, many other curious teenagers were imitating us. We were one of the only groups to attempt the top ledge jump though and it made me feel special to be this adventurous.

The boys found many beautiful girls to look at but the day wasn't a waste for Giulia and I. There was one guy in particular with a yellow bathing suit and dark skin and green eyes that caught both our fancy.

We also played with the ball and made stupid videos of us jumping into the water. It was one of the most enjoyable days of the trip. All too soon it was time to pack up and start upwards. Remember how it was forty minutes to climb down? Yeah, well, it was an estimated hour to hike straight upwards. Upwards. Up giant stones and inclines. The boys being competitive, made a bet that we all had to finish within the hour or we lose at life.

We started off at a jog but Federico soon pulled ahead. I was in front of Mattia for awhile but he took off at a run to catch up to Federico. Quinn was behind me.

I thought I was going to die. That or poop myself. The only reason I made it to the top was because I promised myself that that was the only way I could get to the bathroom. My legs burned and I couldn't breathe. I pushed even harder when I heard Mattia scream in joy when he reached the top and I was only halfway. It turns out I'm really mean to myself when I need to be motivated. I told myself that I would never make it and when I did the feeling was incredible. Out of the predicted hour, I did it in 37 minutes. Not bad. Not bad at all.

I probably dumped a whole water bottle on my head and wasted a ton of money but I don't even care. I felt on top of the world. From where we were earlier we literally were. After everyone reached the top (Federico- 26 mins, Mattia- 27, Me- 37, Quinn- 38, others- 43), we ate some much earned gelato before collapsing in the car.

Everyone still had an excited buzz so the car ride was spent joking and singing. We played a prank on one of Giulia's friends and had a discussion of America vs England.

When we got home we went on a walk (why, I don't know) and soaked in each others company before dinner. Afterwards we met up with Luca and talked until bed.