Ciao, Italia! I'm Back!

Hello there! It's been a while. I'm so happy to be getting back to blogging and sharing my journey with you. If you're reading this - thanks for being here! I thought I'd take a minute and write about the how/what/where/for-how-long questions many people have been asking me about my being back in Italy, as well as debrief about my return.

As you may have noticed, I was able to go home from mid-December to the end of January and it was the best!! Being home with friends and family was sweeter than imagined. While Face Time, email and text messages are amazing tools that I'm oh-so-thankful for while I'm away, there's really nothing quite like hugs, walks and face-to-face chats. While I was home I kept myself busy by seeing people, working and trying to get this little thing called a visa.

The Visa

The plan was to apply for a student visa so I could come back to Italy for the year. Before I headed home in December my host family and I were busy gathering all the paperwork required for my appointment with the Italian Consulate in Charlotte. There were a few minor hiccups (like realizing I booked my round-trip ticket from January - February instead of January - November the night before my appointment....yeeeep...that was fun) but all-in-all it went fairly smooth. The scary thing about obtaining a visa is that they make it sound next to impossible to get and there's no telling exactly what could get you denied. You just have to hope for the best and pray you filled all the paperwork out correctly.

The day of my appointment I was at the Consulate three hours early (a bit excessive, I know) and I had some of my documents printed three times just in-case (of what, I'm not sure but - better safe than sorry). Basically I was trying to be EXTRA sure there would be no reason for them to turn me away because you only get one shot with these people. The actual appointment didn't take very long and went well as far as I could tell. I walked out, shipped my papers to the official Consulate in Philadelphia and the waiting game began. Luckily, I didn't have to wait too long. About two weeks later we heard back and I got approved! So, I will be taking Italian classes in Vicenza and living with my host family for about 9 months.

The Return

On January 30th I began my trip back to good ole Italia and have been in Vicenza for about two weeks now. Coming back was drastically different than coming the first time. The first time I was leaving a job I hated, going to a country and town I'd never been to before and setting out on a new grand adventure. This time, I knew what I was getting myself into, I knew what to expect, I had things pretty well set in place here and nothing was really "new." That added with the sadness of leaving my friends and family for 9 months (the longest I will have ever gone without seeing them) and lets just say there were a lot of tears shed boarding the plane.

However, on the contrary, one of the best parts about coming back to a place that you know well is just that- it's familiar. As soon as I got to Vicenza I was greeted with a giant hug from my host family and sweet messages from friends. Sunday I was able to go to church and see the community I found there and slowly but surly I'm getting settled again. And, as much of it that is familiar to me there are a few new aspects this time around. For example, as it is with the transient Au Pair community, there are a bunch of new girls I'm looking forward to meeting and I'm getting to figure out what winter looks like in Italy. For me and my host family it looks like weekend trips to the mountains to ski which is fun and new.

Now my days are back to being filled with card games, coffee dates, walks, sports practices and keeping up with two boys. Yes, I miss my family, friends, bed and chick-fil-a but I'm already planning on some great adventures with some amazing friends. I'm excited for it all and I'm hoping you'll come along with me on this journey.

xoxo

Below are some pictures I took on a walk the other day. I do this walk fairly often. Its my favorite for reasons I'm sure you'll be able to tell after looking at the pictures.

This is the view of the city half way up. E bellissimo!

When you turn around from the beautiful view of the city this is sitting behind you. I have yet to go inside, but hopefully one day soon I'll make it in.