The Final Weeks

So this is it: the last blog. My year has come to a close. It has been an amazing year, but I still have some stuff to fill you in on. The last two weeks were crammed full of fun. The week after London we played soccer, we had Men’s Bible Study, we had the final 9 o’clock praise, and we had our final visits to our favorite gelateria. The days were dwindling and we kept trying to get as much in as possible. Bailey’s sister there that week so Martin and I went out to eat with them. The next day we had our final banquet, where I straightened my hair. It looked absolutely ridiculous. I wore my new euro glasses and I looked pretty awesome. That night we had a four hour dinner, including songs by students and a 20 minute slideshow of all our photos from the year. The next day we had a surprise for Elizabeth. This year was her 10th year as Director, so the students put together a surprise party for her. Some of the students worked for months putting together a memory book, a video, organizing the location and food, and inviting all the Italian guests. It was such an amazing night. She cried the whole time. After that a bunch of us went to a club called 21 because one of the students met the owner and he offered to throw us a going away party. We all got a glass of champagne and we toasted the year. Then we all got our dance on and it was so fun. The weekend was full of taking a final exam and putting off studying for others. That weekend we got to have a picnic lunch in the Boboli Gardens and we visited the Bargello Museum, where we got to see Donatello’s “David.” On Saturday night Adam and I decided that we really wanted to go out to dinner and drop some money. We went to a place called “Il Teatro” (The Theatre), and it was absolutely amazing. We got all of the different course and I got Bisteca Fiorentina. It was delicious. We went with Rachel, Melissa, and Matt. We talked and ate for 3 and half hours. It was one of the most fun dinners of the year. Then finals week came. I had one final each day, so it wasn’t bad. I should have studied more, but instead I woke up early and visited the churches that I didn’t see before. I went to Santa Felicita, Medici Chapel, San Lorenzo, and the Brancacci Chapel. After that I watched the last Lord of the Rings, which had to be split into two parts because it is over 4 hours long. I think I did well on my exams, so I’m not worried about the fact that I wandered Florence and watched a movie when I should have been studying. We played our last soccer match on Monday and went to Gelato for the last time on Tuesday. Wednesday, after all the tests were over, we all hung out together. People talked and packed at the same time. That night we ate a panino dinner at Piazzale Michelangelo (which overlooks the whole city), and then we had a bonfire at Elizabeth’s house. It was raining, so we all got soaked and muddy, but we still made smores anyways. We drank hot chocolate and enjoyed each other’s company one last time. Then we got in a big circle, passed around candles, and said what we appreciated about the person next to us. After you talked about the person next to you, you would light the candle, and then they would speak and light the next person’s candle. It went on a while, but it was really amazing and emotionally. After we got back about midnight some people went out, but I was so tired I passed out watching a movie. I woke up the next morning, had my last breakfast in the house, and then there was the big goodbye. It was sad, but we all knew that the Villa couldn’t last forever. We are all now entering into a new stage of our lives and it may be sad to say goodbye to what we had, but we can smile knowing that God has taught us a lot this past year and that we are not saying goodbye for good, but only a few months. We got to the airport and my bags were overweight. It had to do with the fact that I didn’t want to throw out the toiletries that were half used and that I had collected about 10 reading books this semester. I threw out the shampoos and whatnots, and moved my books to my carry-on. That did the trick and I didn’t have to pay the 50 euro (your welcome Mom and Dad). ;) We got on the flight and everything went smoothly. My overseas program was finished, but I will never forget the friends, memories, places, and fun times that I had over there. God was so prevalent during my time and I’m still amazed about how much he has taught me about trusting Him and being true to Him at all times. Europe has really changed my life, wait… strike that. During my time in Europe God has really changed my life. I praise God for giving me the chance to go over there and see so much of God’s beautiful world. Anyways, thank you so much for reading my blogs. I hope you enjoyed them and I pray that God will bless your lives as much as He has mine. Ciao! :)