Vivere Con Amore

Five months ago, an excited, slightly overwhelmed, yet extremely hopeful girl boarded a plane to fly to the other side of the world, focused on experiencing an adventure.  What I expected to be a memorable journey around on the other side of the globe, quickly became one of the great loves of my life. Contrary to what most would think, that great love we always hear about and desire is not always another person. In the past five months, I have experienced one of life's great love affairs. Not necessarily a love affair with travel or food, but I fell in love with life.

"To love life" seems like a simple idea. It also seems like a simple task. Too often though, we get so wrapped up in the minute details of life that we don't actually enjoy the journey. Before abroad, I would argue that I loved life. But being abroad and having had the true love affair that I did, I now know what it is to love life. To me, I know it's love because I have experienced happiness for the pure sake of being happy, love for the pure sake of loving, and being humble because there's no reason not to be.

Life has brought me around the world; into and around eight countries. It brought me to moments where I stopped in my steps to ask how I am deserving to be so exceedingly blessed. It has given me some of the truest friendship I could only have wished to gain. It brought me to meals that actually made me emotional. It gave me an education which was an accomplishment in itself, its not always easy to be focused and committed while abroad. It gave me moments where I laughed harder than I knew I could. It gave me nights that made me wish college would never have to end. It gave me and excessive amount of postcards, magnets, and souvenir glasses from around Europe. And while it didn't give me the ultimate Lizzie McGuire moment, there are no complaints as to what I was given. All of this brought me love. And though it may be completely cliche, I can honestly say I lived. 

And sitting in my Italian apartment, packing away five months of memories, I couldn't be more honored to have experience this part of the journey. I also couldn't be more excited that my family is coming to Italy, which means I get 3 more weeks to pursue this love affair. There are absolutely no words to express how thankful I am to have adventured as I did and learned to love as I now do.  And while you may expect tears of sadness that my journey is coming to an end; my tears are purely of joy that I got to do and feel the way I have. If anything, though no one actually ever wants to leave Italy, I am now anxiously excited to approach the rest of my life knowing what I now know. 

And when they ask me what being abroad taught me, I will say: 

Vivere con amore. 

(To live with love)