If you thought that this blog post would be some crazy party story in the spirit of Katy Perry’s hit single, then I’m sorry to disappoint you. Rather, you’re getting a more reflective piece that I’m composting here in my apartment on my last Friday night in Rome.
“Lasts.” It’s a term that I introduced in my last blog post, but for those of you who missed that one, here’s a quick review. “Lasts” are those things that people get sentimental about when a specific phase of their life is coming to an end. As my semester comes to a close, I’ve been experiencing many of these lasts, some more gratifying than others.
Last weekend, I took my last trip of the semester, this time to Amsterdam. I visited my Dutch friend Doortje, who is an Amsterdam native that I met in India over the summer when she was studying medicine in the same city that I was doing my internship. I wandered around by myself for a few hours before meeting up with her, and toured the Anne Frank House, which was, to my surprise, quite powerful. I was also sure to tour the nearby Cheese Museum and take advantage of the dozens of free samples. After I met up with Doortje, she showed me around the city for the rest of the weekend. We ate a traditional Dutch meal, took a boat tour throughout Amsterdam’s famous canals, and even saw Cloud Atlas (which was really weird). Overall, it was a great last weekend of travel, but now I had to go back to Rome and begin stressful period that always comes at the end of a semester.
This week was also the last week of classes, which, I have to admit, was kind of saddening. Although, my last Archaeology field study on Thursday was somewhat of a downer, since I know that I won’t be doing any more field studies in the rest of my college career, especially with a subject that is so appropriate for them. My Italian final exam was also this week, marking the last time my class would be gathered together. Spending so much time together throughout the course of the semester, doing all sorts of crazy and fun activities, has made our class of twelve become a real “family,” as my teacher Monica said. The “family” put some money together to give her a nice, leather-bound journal that we all signed like a yearbook. Everyone got a little emotional when we gave it to her right before the final began.
This weekend is the hardest one yet. Everyone has to study for next week’s finals, but at the same time, they want to make the best of this last weekend in Rome with their friends. It’s a balancing act that’s easier said than done. But by now, I’m used to making the best out of things. I’ve been doing it all semester, after all. Wish me luck!