Saying goodbye is one of the hardest things you will experience abroad.
The last week of my study abroad experience was one of my hardest. I felt like Florence was my home, and the thought of leaving it all behind seemed crazy. All of my trips to my favorite spots in the city were tinged with sadness. However, I tried to stay positive. I was grateful for the experiences I had had and all of the great friends I had made. One of the things that got me through was spending my last week taking in all the experiences I had taken for granted and appreciating my time in the city while I still had it. One night after an exam I climbed the bell tower of the Duomo and watched the sun set over the city I had come to think of as my home. I spent that time thinking of all of my memories of my time spent exploring the city. The Palazzo Vecchio reminded me of the art class I spent there drawing the statues that surrounded the plaza. The train station made me think of all the wonderful places I had traveled to. I thought of all of my Florentine Fashion Walks classes and how I had learned so much about the history of this special place. It was important to me that I savor all of my final moments in Florence while I still could.
That weekend, before our program ended, my friends and I gathered in our apartment to have one final celebration before going our separate ways. We had spent the semester hosting dinner parties for each other from our apartments, so it seemed perfect to end the semester with the biggest one yet. We dubbed the night Friendsgiving. We all contributed Tuscan-American Thanksgiving fusion dishes, like roasted chicken, risotto, and green beans with almonds, and came together over great food to reflect on our experiences and appreciate our final week together. Looking back, that night is one of my favorite memories of my whole experience abroad. I was surrounded by people I hadn't even known four months prior, but in that moment, I couldn't imagine having to leave them.
Despite knowing that our time in Florence was fleeting, that night we focused on living in the moment and celebrating the fact that we could spend time together. When my friends started arriving, we exchanged hugs and ciao bellas. We took pictures together commemorating the night and our strange combination of Christmas and Birthday Party decor. We laughed and shared stories. During dinner, we shared what we were grateful for about our time abroad, some people's thoughts making us tear up and some making us bust out laughing. We laughed at inside jokes and played games. When it was time to go, we all teared up at the thought of saying good bye. We all agreed that this wasn't ciao; it was arrivederci.
I don't know when I'll get the chance to visit Florence or see my friends again. However, I know that I still cherish the memories I made while I was abroad. I'm so grateful for all of my experiences and will always recall that time in my life with fond memories.