I know blogs are typically an account of current events, but I feel as though I have a bit of catching up to do since I left home almost 2 months ago and have yet to tell many people about the trip so far. So in an attempt to give a short recap of events - although nothing ever seems to be short when I write it - I'll give a brief outline of what happened, knowing that I'll probably make other posts referring back to events in more detail.

So to start off, was my week in Indy for Jackie and Antonello's wedding. I arrived at the airport, where after an hour wait discovered that I had been forgotten (which I was later assured was only because they loved me the most ^___^ ), but was quickly picked up later at the hostel and whisked away to Jackie's house where wedding preparations were well underway. The following days are a bit of a blur, as we all rushed around between canoeing, shopping, the bridal shower, the rehearsal dinner, the wedding, and all the preparations that needed to be done. Over the days a new language seemed to form, consisting of a mixture of English and Italian, as more and more Italians arrived, and those of us who spoke some Italian attempted to translate. I often found myself speaking the wrong language to the wrong person, but in the end everything turned out beautifully.

The day after the wedding I was off to Italy, meeting Kari at the airport in Newark where we both had layovers, before flying to Milan together. The first few days were mainly spend running errands, and trying to get all of my paperwork in order. Then we were off, on our own version of a very fast grand tour. In two weeks we went from Milan to Venice, Rome, Florence, Siena (for the Palio), and Sorrento with day trips to Capri, Positano, and Amalfi. The first two weeks are again a bit of a blur as we rushed from one city to another, one site to another, trying to take in a taste of all different aspects of history spanning from Roman to modern times. In the end we were to put it simply, exhausted. As we bored the train in Naples it was obvious what we both wanted - to be home in our beds. Well, we weren't heading home for another two weeks (Kari to the states, and me to Milano), but we did go to the next best place. Macerata.

Macerata, the town where I studied and lived almost three years ago, always feels like home to me when I return. This time, we were lucky in that a friend of mine, Emanuele, invited us to stay at his apartment. While we were done seeing all the "must see" sites, the adventure was far from over, in some ways, it was just starting. As we got off the train in Macerata we were looking not for Emanuele who was at work, but rather for a friend of his, a friend wearing "a white hat." I had never met this friend before, and wasn't even sure of his name. I wasn't too concerned though, as Macerata isn't exactly a tourist hug with lots of train traffic. So sure enough, as we entered the waiting room there was a guy on his phone, wearing a white hat. We both kind of looked at each other, smiled, and I assumed this was the person we were to be meeting. However, as he continued to talk on his phone, and not to us, I continued to look around in case there was a second white hat hovering about. Soon enough though he ended his conversation and greeted us, introducing himself as one of Emanuele's roommates, Luca.

A few days later we met another of the roommates, Matteo, and over the week and a half we made ourselves at home in their apartment, living the daily life - life without trips to churches, long lines for museums, or eating out every night. We woke up in the morning and made cafe, and in a lot of cases also lunch, while still wearing our pajamas. We watched tv, we laid in the park, or sat in the piazza people watching. We went to the grocery store, cooked dinner, and had dance parties till early hours of the morning. It was in essence, a vacation from our vacation, and was exactly what we needed. When we arrived in Macerata I didn't know Emanuele that well, and wasn't sure exactly what to expect. When we left, we felt as though we were leaving behind 3 great friends who we had known for much longer. I was glad that Kari was able to experience this side of Italy as well, the side away from tourists, where people can just be.

With heavy hearts we left Macerata, and returned to Milano where our trip had started. For Kari the next few days were the end of her trip. For me, they were the beginning of a new life. We moved into my new apartment, meeting Stefano my future roommate (who will be moving in at the end of the month), and spent the days wondering the streets, learning where the atms are, the grocery stores, and the subway stops. We took a day trip to Modena where we ate Gelato with balsalmic vinegar on top, and to Bologna where we met my friend Irene (who I had met at Jackie's wedding), and wandered through the many portacle covered streets.

Soon, the day came for Kari to return home, and for me to face Milano alone. I was sad to see Kari go, after a month together it was an odd feeling to wake up the next day and have her gone - but I was, and am, excited for the adventure that lays ahead, the chance to get to know this city and its people, the chance for it to become home.