Ridiculously in love

If you would of told me at the beginning of camp how fast this summer was going to fly by I would have called you crazy. But here we are, at week 4 already. Say whaaaaaaat? We just came back from 4th of July break and it's unreal how much I missed Nemo, Texas. It's so ridiculously easy for me to fall in love-- with people. With places. With life. I'm so happy.

 But I'm also a sentimental creature by nature. I'm still listening to my old Greece playlists and dreaming of waking up in Porto Rafti again. And then I think back even further, to my life a year ago. People always tell you to live without regrets, but I wish they also had warned me how fast life changes. To really appreciate where you're at. Because things never happen the same way twice. And you can't go back. Just forward.
The worst part for me is not knowing what to expect. Normally I love surprises, and I'm okay not knowing where I'll be. But one of my strongest characteristics, my optimism, is also a downfall. I have these big dreams for life- what I want to do, where I want to go, who I'm going to be and who I'll be with. And sometimes I worry reality won't measure up to my expectations.
One of my camp friends just got back from a mission trip to Tanzania. She crawled into my bunk and showed me her pictures and shared her stories and my heart just aches. I want to be there. I want to be everywhere. I want to be making a difference. I want to be traveling. I want to be with those kids.

My friend and her precious kids. Praying for them

And then I think about those words. I want.
I.
Want.
I'm not here to serve myself. I'm not here to accomplish my goals. It's all about Him and His glory. I'm a child of the most high God, and I'm here for Him. When He says go, I'll go. When He says stay, I'll stay. And if he can use my passions and my desires to further his kingdom, great. If not, I'll still be joyful and give thanks. In all circumstances.
I have no idea where I'm going to be in another year. Or after graduation. I don't have a 5 year plan. I don't have a point A to point B diagram or a 12 step program to accomplishing my life goals. And I think I'm okay with that :)

Sorry this has turned into a sappy post. International affairs have really been on my mind lately, what with everything going on in Egypt. And the summer HUG group is in Israel right now.  One day I'll be out there again, but for now my mission field is Stevens Ranch. Bring it on Nemo.

Finding Nemo

So I've been home exactly 2 months and 1 day from my adventure of a lifetime, and it still doesn't feel real. It doesn't feel real that I lived and ate and spoke with people from another country halfway around the world for 3 months. Sometimes I think I'm imagining it all up, that visiting the Acropolis and the Pyramids, and Jerusalem, and Rome was all just a beautiful dream and now I've woken up and am back where I've started.
But I know that's not true. I'm no longer the same person I was before I left. I have these photos and and emotions and amazing memories attached to these places and, more than that, I have a completely different view of the world.
And now I begin a new adventure.
It's not in a foreign country, and it's not really exotic (unless you consider 100+ degree weather a characteristic of exotic) but it gives me 3 months with the most precious kids in one of my favorite places in the world: Stevens Ranch.
Is it kind of lame to blog about being a counselor at a camp out in the middle of nowhere in small town called Nemo, Texas? Probably. I mean let's be real going from GREECE to anywhere is going to sound lame. But I miss writing and blogging. And I may not be traveling the world, but hey I've got time for that later ;) Right now I'm just excited to be here. I'm content. I get to work with some of my best friends I haven't seen in a year. My job is making kids happy. And nothing beats the Texas stars at night out here.

My babies for the week :)

I've been here 2 weeks already for admin week and then staff training week, but this week is our first for campers. It's the biggest group we've ever had, since one our sister camps closed down and they combined the two camps. CHECK IN WAS INSANE. But seeing their sweet eager sometimes-whiney-and-annoying-but-still-precious faces was perfect. This is definitely what I need right now. I am so blessed.

<3 Firefly
Stevens Ranch
P.O. Box 480
Nemo, TX 76070

Sisterhood of the Traveling HUGgers

So it's Thursday already...meaning it's already been almost a week since we got back from the cruise. What! No. Where does the time go? I remember when I first got here each day felt like two days long. And now each day feels like its twice as fast. Time is weird like that. So!

the mediterranean cruise of my dreams 

April 1 - Boarding and Mykonos
  
We got up early on Monday morning to begin our cruise. We left the Artemis around 7:00-7:30, checked in and turned our passports in, then went through security (it was like being at an airport) then boarded and found our rooms. Now the rooms were different than I expected - ours were like two night train rooms stuck together. There were four beds in the room with two normal ones and two that fold down on top of them like bunks. We had a lifeboat meeting and drill after that to make sure if something like the Titanic happens we're prepared. We ate lunch and then Meghan Moriah and I took a long nap :) 
When we woke, we were at the beautiful island of MYKONOS! This island is absolutely gorgeous. It's very traditional Greek looking, and exactly how I pictured Greece was going to be before I left in January. We had tea time really fast then departed at 5:30 to explore.

Must See Things in Mykonos:

Little Venice. Famous group of buildings that have been constructed right on the sea's edge with their balconies overhanging the water. I want to live there.

Petros the Pelican. An old celebrity of the town's waterfront, "Petros"is a large pink pelican that has been the official mascot of Mykonos for over 50 years (we found two though, and we weren't sure which was Petros, or if neither of them were since he's supposed to be the biggest.) For the sake of this blog, let's say he's Petros.

The Windmills. And of course these! From as early as the 16th century, they are one of the most recognized landmarks of Mykonos.We watched the sunset here and it was one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen. 

 Oh and here's a cute old Greek man sitting outside his home, just because. This cruise was a perfect oppurtunity to get some great shots to add to my photography collection. 

Fun fact: In Greek mythology Mykonos was the location of the battle between Zeus and the Titans, and the island was named in honor of Mykons, son of Anios who was a son of Apollo and nymph named Rio.

While there we also visited a friend of Mama B and Steven, a little old lady who hand makes these beautiful Greek shirts. It was so wonderful meeting a local and getting to talk to her.

After hanging in Mykonos a few hours we headed back to the boat for a late dinner and dancing on the top deck where the high schoolers were. We had the best time making conga lines into their groups and being generally loud and obnoxious (because that's how we are) 

 April 2 -Kusadasi, Ephesus, and Patmos

The next morning, we had left Greece and were able to add one more country to our list: TURKEY!!! We had a tour guide lead us through the ancient ruins of Ephesus, the city Paul wrote Ephesians to. 
Of all the ruins we've been to, Ephesus was my favorite. There was just so much left there, and there's still so much to be uncovered. Apparently they've only discovered 10% of it. We went through these old Roman Terrace houses and into a big theater still there. And, of course, we sang there. All these places we've sung and worshiped - how amazing is it that we can do that? All over the world. Wow. 
 

Oh also there were alot of cats every where. Like, EVERY WHERE. So I really loved Ephesus.

After the ancient Ephesus ruins we went this really neat CARPET making shop. This funny Turkish man showed us how they collect the silk from the silk worms and make it into carpets. They gave us this delicious apple tea and showed us their carpets -- and whew they were GORGEOUS carpets...unfortunately the smallest ones they had were at least $250 so no goes. It was a great experience though. Afterwards we went back to the port because we had about an hour before we set sail again and we just wandered around Kusadasi and soaking in what we could of the Turkish culture. The people were super friendly, and we got milkshakes and sat at a little outdoor cafe (mainly to use their wifi, but still)

 

After we left Turkey, we had lunch on the boat around 12:30 then hung out until Patmos later that afternoon. Patmos is mentioned in Revelation and is the place where John was when he had his vision. You can see the crack in the cave that was made when the voice of the Lord appeared. (no pics allowed) We then went to a monastery further up the cliffs and looked around.

 
Once we got back we ate dinner and then went to karaoke night in one of the lounges - it was a blast! More dancing on the top deck afterwards. Oh. I also had my first crepe in Patmos. And it was so good.

 April 3 -Rhodes

The next day we docked ALL DAY in Rhodes! Rhodes was a crazy awesome, with a wall surrounding the city. Rhodes is famous for being the site of the Colossus of Rhodes, a statue of the Titan Helios that is considered one of the 7 Ancient wonders of the world. It doesn't stand there anymore, but it was neat seeing the site it once was.

Afterwards we hung out at a Starbucks (that was built inside a CASTLE) and then walked around Rhodes. Unfortunately it was rainy and cold that day, and the sea was going crazy. Fortunately, we took refuge in a spa and got a FISH PEDICURE to cure our rainy day blues (and our icky Chaco feet)  It was so fun! It tickled a little and felt like little bubbles on our feet. (And Erin, if you're reading this, we will do it when I get back I PROMISE)

 We walked around town, looking at shops and stopping for gelato and crepes at a little cafe. We were all slightly disappointed because we'd been told Rhodes was great for cheap shopping but everything was pretty expensive. Overall though, we loved Rhodes and just wished the weather had been better. We boarded and our room took a nap again (I slept so good in that room - it was pitch black) Then we had dinner and did more karaoke in the lounge (being a group that likes singing from a school that's all about singing, we loved karaoke) That night was rough though because the waves were so choppy and made the boat rock. A lot of people in our group felt motion sick from it. When you walked through the halls on the lower decks you felt like you were flying because the boat rocked you so much.

Captain's night! We all dressed up for dinner

 April 3 -Crete and Santorini

Our last full day on the cruise. We woke up docked in Heraklion, the capital of Crete. We didn't get much time there, as we woke up around 9 and left at 11:30, and it took time to walk to the town from the port and back. It reminded us all a lot of Athens, a modern bustling city but with ancient sites and charming shops. 

 Fun fact: The skull of St. Titus is in Heraklion (or what people think is his skull. How they know this I have no idea.)

We set sail and and had a meeting about departures the next day. Then we ate lunch and hung out on the cruise ship. This ship had some pretty cool stuff - a sauna, a casino, 2 pools (that we never used. Too chilly or blocked off for rough weather) So we passed time until we made it to SANTORINI!

Santorini, as many may know, is where Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was filmed! Donkeys, white buildings, cute Greek people, it has it all. Although we weren't actually in the town STP was (they were in a less touristy town called Oia and we were in Fira, the capital) It was BEAUTIFUL. We rode donkeys up the 500 something stairs (poor things) and a Greek man followed us up on his own donkey to make sure we made it up. I loved it! Definitely something I've always wanted to do and now I can cross that off of my bucket list. Afterwards we wandered around, taking pictures and eating gelato and having a merry time. I love Santorini. Love love love. 

 After we got back on the boat we ate dinner, did more karaoke, and enjoyed our last night on the cruise. The next morning we had to get up at 6:30 to eat breakfast and be off the boat around 8. We were back at the Artemis around 9:30, then we had classes. Not exactly the most exciting finish to our wonderful cruise week, but classes come with the territory haha.

So sorry this is really late...and on a super sombre note, today is my last day here. My last day in the Artemis, in Porto Rafti, in Greece. I could write a novel on my reflections and thoughts about the past three months, but let's save those for another post shall we? I'll be back home in the Texas in 27 hours. Wow wow wow. It's such a bittersweet thing. I'm so excited to go home, but heartbroken about leaving this place and these people. It's been the journey of a lifetime and I'm so grateful I had the opportunity to experience all these wonders of the world. 

σ 'αγαπώ για πάντα Ελλάδα

Rachel   

THIS IS SPARTA (actually, Northern Greece)

I'm so behind on blogging!!! The past few weeks have been nonstop, an endless cycle of packing, traveling, overloading poor Yianna on laundry and repeat. But today it suddenly hit me that I have ONE WEEK left here. That's all. No more. So I'm making myself sit down and do this to make future me happy.

So. Way back on March 26 we left on a 4 day expedition to Northern Greece. To be honest, I wasn't as excited for this trip as I was about, say, Egypt. This trip involved traveling through several biblical sites all the way up to Philippi and then making the trek back to Porto Rafti from there the last day (an 8 hour drive) And as much as I love road trips, I just wasn't pumped for sitting forever and doing more museums at first.

March 26 - Delphi

 I changed my mind once we got to Delphi. The view was incredible, and I felt like I was in Montana. (Now, I've never been to Montana but it's what I pictured Montana would look like in my head.)

 

Delphi holds a vast amount of history for the Greeks - it's where the Pythian games were held (I had to give a presentation on this here. It was held every 4 years, but 2 years before and 2 years after the Olympic Games) There's an old stadium and theater there to mark this, as well as a temple of Apollo (the god the games honored). Delphi is also where the Oracle was. The oracle was the priestess at the Temple of Apollo, and one of the most prestigious oracles of the Greeks.

 After the 3 hour drive to Delphi we stayed there about 2 hours, looking at the site and the museum there. We ate lunch (chicken skewers, rice, fries, bread - this became a common theme in what we were fed for the next 4 days) then hit the road for a couple more hours to get to Meteora. Check this place out.

It's like ROCKS. But ridiculously cool rock where Monks live. Meteora means "middle of the sky" where six monasteries were built. We went straight to our hotel though, and waited to explore til the next day.

March 27 - Meteora, Berea, Thessaloniki 

Sunrise the next morning. Wow.

We went up to a monastary the next morning and it was amazing. The view, the church, the very fact that they built it up in the rocks and used to use ropes to pull each other up.
 

Bruce McLarty, the guy who's going to be our new President at Harding next semester, came on this trip with us to make a video of all the biblical places we went, too, so I decided to snap a pic with him for kicks and giggles. 

Afterwards lunch and then on the road again to Berea (which is now known as Veria). Paul preached here (read Acts 17) and Dr. McLarty gave a lecture to be videoed for future Paul classes. Then Thessaloniki, where we went into a church and looked around. It was evening by that point then so afterwards we just went to the hotel to eat dinner.

 March 28 - Thessaloniki and Philippi

The next day we went through more of Thessaloniki and then drove to Phillipi! We went to the site where they think Paul was imprisoned, but our very wise guide James informed us this couldn't be it because they wouldn't put a prison by the center of the city where everyone was (we were literally right downhill from the theater, and they wouldn't do that)

Next we went to the site where Lydia was supposedly baptized. There is a little church there that's absolutely beautiful. Our group sang in there, like we always do when we visit places, and it was wonderful. I could have sat there and sung forever and ever. I think that's been one of the biggest blessings of this trip - the opportunity to live with these fantastic people, to laugh with them, to bond with them, but to grow spiritually and worship our heavenly Father together.

  March 29 - Dion and Thermopylae

We began our drive back, breaking the 8 hours up into a couple groups. We drove 3 hours and stopped in Dion, near Mt. Olympus. It's where an important sanctuary to Zeus used to be. We toured the site for an hour, then the museum for another hour, then lunch for another hour. Back on the bus and we were on our way to Thermopylae.




Thermopylae, for all you history buffs who care, is the site where the Spartans fought the invading Persians, or more likely known as where Gerard Butler fought in 300. It was pretty cool. They say if you're lucky you can still find arrowheads around the area.

The battlefield

So there's my very brief record of our Northern Greece excursion. I may come back and add more but with finals this week I have a few other things to finish (Yes contrary to popular belief I do have school and homework over here haha)

I have another trip to tell everyone about also! Our CRUISE! We just got back a few days ago and I had the most amazing time. But we'll save those stories for that blog.

Ta ta for now,
Rachel

The Great Italian Backpacking Adventure

So I finally had an experience I've always been dying to have. (And this one's an even bigger thing than the skiing one) I went BACKPACKING through Italy.
7 people.
6 days.
5 towns.
Lehhh go.

Wednesday March 13 - Milan

Classes were as normal Wednesday morning, but after lunch we headed out to the airport to begin our spring break adventure. We flew from Athens to Malpensa Airport in Milan and caught a bus from the airport to the main train station in central Milan. From there we walked about 15 minutes to our hostel.

Milan at night

 Fun facts about hostels! You may just end up with random person in your room if you book one with an uneven number of people (we call them randos) This first night our group was put into two separate rooms, four in one room and three in the other with the rando. He was actually a pretty cool guy from Japan just traveling Italy by himself. You go, Glen Coco. We stuck the boys with him.
We asked our hostel owner for his reccomendation on where to eat - it was 8PM and we were starving. We wanted the BEST pizza, we told him. And he sent us to the right place.

The pizza was a different style than normal Italian pizza (as you'll soon see, typical Italian pizza is very flat) but this pizza was probably the best I had. Ever.

Thursday March 14 - Cinque Terre (Riomaggiore & Monterosso al Mare) and La Spezia

 We woke early the next day for our train to Cinque Terre, the most beautiful place in the world. I may be exaggerating but just look at this place.

 Cinque Terre is made up of 5 cute little towns (Cinque Terre literally means "Five Lands") built into the mountains right next to the sea. We started in the first one, Riomaggiore, and had the best time exploring and climbing to the church on the top. It's seriously the perfect Rachel town. All the people drive colorful cars and live in colorful houses and own colorful boats and are the nicest people in the world. I'm going to live there one day.



We accidentally got stuck in the first town much longer than we planned because of train timing (as you'll soon see trains are TRICKY) but once we got one we jumped the middle three towns and went to the 5th, Monterosso al Mare. It was divided into an old part and a new part, and we ate GELATO and wandered around the streets. (There's a recurring theme in my Italy trip: Pizza and gelato. Pretty much my diet there)

Our hostel was actually in La Spezia, near the Cinque Terra towns but outside of them, so we took another train and walked to the hostel. Our check in time wasn't until later, though, so we found a pizzeria to eat in first.

Did I eat that whole pizza by myself? Yes. Yes I did.

Then back to the hostel. It was THE BEST HOSTEL of our entire trip.We ended up checking in early still and the lady who was the previous hostel owner but still lived there let us in, chattering in English-Italian. "You never know where you're going to be and when," she smiled. "It is the beauty of your age." We loved her instantly.  The hostel felt like a real hotel. We got three rooms with cute decorations and towels (TOWELS. You really appreciate towels when you realize your first hostel doesn't provide them.)

Friday March 15 - Cinque Terre and the Train Station Adventure

The next morning our hostel included breakfast so they gave us passes to a cute cafe across the street to get pastries and tea or coffee. (Oh yeah, did I mention I like hot tea now? My mom's always been obsessed with it but I hated it. After tea time every night at the Artemis and traveling, I love the stuff. Albeit with a bunch of sugar in it.) Then we wandered around La Spezia, going to an Italian market, which was very similar to the Greek market.

 

 Next: Train back to Cinque Terre for the last three towns! We started in the 4th town (Vernazza) with plans of hiking to 3 and finishing in 2 because we consulted good ole guide Rick Steves (our loyal friend during the week) and he said 4 and 2 were the coolest. Our plans were foiled, however, with the hiking trails closed due to landslides. We consoled ourselves with more pizza and gelato.



 We took a train to town 3 (Corniglia) which was different than the other towns. First observation: Not as many cute bright buildings. Second Observation: Holy moly we have to climb that huge hill to even get to the town? Is this even worth it?

It was.  It took awhile to get to the top (so we did get our hike in afterall, ha ha) but the view was great and we found all kinds of fantastic back alleys and a precious dog that followed us around the whole time. So glad that we did do it. (*Note: If you are crammed for time, however, don't hesitate to skip Corniglia. You can get the whole experience from the other towns)





Then the next town: Manarola. In the end I couldn't decide whether I like this town or the first one, Riomaggiore better because they were both so beautiful.

In the center of town!

That night we left Cinque Terre and searched for dinner in La Spezia again. We found a little sandwich shop that looked good and relatively cheap. We stumbled on jackpot. The cute old Italian man saw the group of us and said, "Are you hungry? I give you peppercorn pig and Italian dishes!" and brought out this huge platter of meat and veggies and bread and pies. It was so good. We even got a pic with him :)

Then, are you ready for this? Here comes the mother of all crazy adventures that happened in Italy.

     That night we had a train from La Spezia to Pisa Centrale, then from Pisa to Florence where we had a hostel booked for that night. Funny thing, we got on and we're feeling pretty good. Til we left the station, heard where the train was headed, and realized we were ON THE WRONG TRAIN.
     We weren't that worried at first. I asked a guy on the train, who told me it was headed to Riomaggiore in Cinque Terre  where we could get off and get on a train back to La Spezia. No big. But it took longer than we expected, and once we got back to La Spezia, our right train had left and the next one to Pisa wasn't for TWO HOURS. We debated staying another night in La Spezia, but decided to hunker down at the station, wait for the train, and hope for the best.
    It went downhill from there.
   We finally got to Pisa at midnight. The next train (which turned into a bus) to Florence didn't leave till 1AM. We couldn't get the payphones to work, and when we finally did our hostel told us that was too late to check in (we'd be getting in at 3AM), and told us they were still going to charge us for the room. And it was freezing cold. I don't recommend hanging out at a train station for several hours on a concrete floor. Our best shot, we decided, was to just get to Florence and figure out something from there.
     Hahahaha.

     We rode the sketchiest bus to Florence (Jacob was sure he was going to get stabbed) and we got off with no direction or plan. But wait! What was that, across the street? A big golden arch, hallelujah! I can tell you never in my life have I been happier to see a McDonald's. It meant warmth, a place to sit beside the cold ground, and no sketchy people hanging out.
    Well I was wrong about the last part. Once we were inside we soon discovered this was no ordinary McDonalds. It was CRAZY CROWDED inside. And it was huge, with a big eating area and even a downstairs. There was club music playing. I'm pretty sure the sobriety levels of most of the people in the room was questionable. And there was a girl across the room from us that looked like she had been shooting heroin all night and was now rocking back and forth in her chair with her eyes fluttering open and shut.
   Jacob and Allison decided to try their luck walking around trying to find an open hostel or somewhere we could stay. They were gone an hour, while the other 5 of us watched heroin girl and tried not to fall asleep. That's another thing. You can't fall asleep in this McDonalds. A huge black bouncer looking guy would walk around and shake you to wake you up if you nodded off. No cat naps for anyone. Over an hour had gone by when they returned. They went to 30 some odd places and they were all either 1.Closed 2. Full 3. Lying. (It was 3AM though, mind you, so I kind of understand them not wanting to deal with us.
   A glimmer of hope then: finally we called Dr. J in Greece who gave us the Harding University in Florence's number. Their assistant director, Kyle, gave us instructions to ride a tram for 20 minutes and he would pick us up. He took us to the HUF bible school where Kyle and his wife showed us rooms and showers. It was such a God thing and we were extremely grateful to catch sleep for even just 4 hours.
   So there's the great McDonald's escapade.

Saturday March 16 - FLORENCE

The rest of our time in Florence was lovely. We met up with some of the HUF kids and they showed us the highlights. In no matter of time at all I was in love with the city. We saw the Duomo and the David statue and wandered around the town square looking at shops and the old buildings and the bridges. We were also with another HUG group so we ate dinner with them that night. Pasta=heavenly. Unfortunately we only had that one day in Florence, and then we were headed on another train to ROME.

Sunday March 17 - ROME

Due to our lack of sleep the night before we slept in a bit and got a late start on Rome the next day. We were further slowed down by a MARATHON going on at the Colosseum. What! Come on, St. Patrick's Day!
We loved it and got a lot done though. We saw the Colosseum, ate more pizza, walked by the Roman Forum, took a metro to the Spanish Steps and walked to the Trevi Fountain.

 

At the Travi Fountain we ate the best gelato in the world (I'M NOT EVEN JOKING.) I had chocolate and caramel and it was divine. 

After that we walked around the shopping area, pretending we were rich and snooty and could afford all the expensive stuff in Louie Vuitton and Burberry. And then...I'm a little ashamed to admit this...but our first night in Rome we ate McDonald's. You'd think the previous night would have scarred us, but we had eaten Italian for every meal since getting there and we were all wanting some good old American greasy burgers and fries. No regret.

Monday March 18 - ROME Day 2 - Vatican City

We made up for lost time on Sunday by getting an early start Monday. We went straight to the Vatican City! (Fun fact: One of our HUG groups was there the night the new pope was chosen!) It was super crowded Monday because the Sistine chapel had been closed for the Pope election. It started raining for the hour and a half we waited in line for the Vatican Museum, but we had a great time playing dumb games in line that passed the time. We even got a student discount with our ISIC cards and got in for 8 euros.

The Museum was beautiful - it was completely filled with old paintings and tapestries and maps and sculptures. Room after room after room was covered. Amazing. Finally we got to the Sistine chapel. We were packed in there pretty tightly and there were lots of guards shushing the whole group, but it was incredible. The famous picture of The Creation of Adam wasn't as big as I thought it was going to be, but it was such a surreal moment to be in a room of such ancient wonders. (Also no pics allowed inside Sistine Chapel)

After the Museum we ate a really late lunch at 3PM at a cute Italian place decorated like Cinque Terre. Allison and I split the biggest calzone in the world.

  We then headed to St. Peter's Basilica - it was ginormous. I keep using the same adjectives, but it was just beautiful. There was some kind of service going on with singing that we listened to for a little bit.

The original plan was to take the metro back to the Spanish steps to see them and the Trevi fountain again, but we all really wanted to just walk around and see the city - so we did. We walked for awhile, over the bridge from Vatican City to the rest of Rome. We walked through the Piazza Navona to the Pantheon, with perfect timing because it closed shortly after we got there. Then we walked to the Trevi fountain again, threw more coins, and bought pizza and gelato from our favorite shop. Afterwards we took a metro to the northern part of the city where a park is with a beautiful view of the Rome cityscape was. It was the perfect ending to the day and our trip to Italy.

The next day we flew home with almost no trouble...if you don't consider leaving one of group members behind in Rome a problem. We thought we were problem free once we finally figured out which bus to take to the airport, but this trip has a funny way of throwing surprises at us. She forgot to buy her ticket and the flight had no extra spots so we had to board while she stayed behind for a flight the next day. We felt awful leaving her :(She made it home safe by herself though, and it was so nice to be back at the Artemis with the rest of the HUG gang and the same bed every night and not carrying my whole closet on my back everyday.

I loved my backpacking experience, however, and would jump on the opportunity to do it again. You learn so much traveling like that - there's no charter bus to pick you up after an attraction, no adult to take care of you when something goes wrong. It's all up to you and your group to figure it out. Girl Scouts prepared me well. Hahaha. It's also great though because you can go wherever you want, you make your own plans and agenda and have so much freedom and opportunity. AHHH I MISS IT ALREADY.

Anyways, this blog post has taken me forever to sit down and write.  And sorry it's so long! Leaving for Northern Greece in a few days, and then our cruise shortly after that. It's so sad how fast the end is coming...January 15 feels like yesterday. But at the same time it feels like ages ago. I feel like I've grown so much as a person here and learned so much - about myself, about other people, about the world. This experience has been one of the best things to ever happen to me. And I love my HUG family so much. We've all grown so close and being without them for 3 months is going to be really weird.

Okay I'm cutting this off or I'm going to write a novel.

xoxo,
Rachel