Submitted by Kaitlyn McConeghy on the 2018 spring semester program in Rome, Italy…
Today, I started to pack my things (still not confident I’m going to make the 22 kg limit), worked on some of my final papers and prepared myself to say good-bye to my home for the last four months–something I always knew was coming, but could never have truly been ready for. A few months ago, I couldn’t imagine what life in a foreign country would be like. Today, I can’t picture myself walking home from class and not passing our favorite cappuccino place, the Tiber River or the tram that takes you to the Vittoriano.
The Piazza Venezia tram was kind of the center of our existence here in Rome. Four stops took you up to the school, six stops to the market in Campo de Fiori, all the way to the end for the Vittoriano, and the middle of everything. I think the first time I really got emotional about leaving was one night when we were walking back to the tram; looking at the beautiful Vittoriano in the moonlight, staring at the eternal flame and realizing that this moment would soon be a memory.
I could write paragraphs and paragraphs about everything that Rome has given me–the lifelong friends made, the lessons learned, the beautiful memories–but for the sake of brevity, and so that you don’t stop reading my blog, I’ll keep it short. One of my favorite quotes goes as follows: “You will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” I’ve tried to live the last four months with that quote in mind, cherishing each moment in the present and knowing that they will all someday become memories. I’ve had some of the most truly amazing moments here in Rome, and it is with joy, and perhaps a little sadness, that I know that they’ll someday become beautiful memories.