The Beginning of the End

As we are heading in to our last two weeks here at CIMBA, we are busy getting ready to travel one last time, studying for our last quizzes and tests, and have to start thinking about packing for home. It is going to be a bittersweet goodbye as I am very excited to get home and see my family and friends, but I also know how much I will miss the amazing people I’ve met and the beauty of Italy.

Last week was our last normal week here at CIMBA as we will be traveling at the end of next week and will be completing finals the week after that. Throughout the week I had classes, worked on projects, and planned for our upcoming travel weekend. On Wednesday night I also went to an Evening with a Professor event, this time it was cheese tasting. We went to the professors’ apartment and a man was there to tell us about different kinds of cheeses, how they are made, and let us taste them. I love cheese so it was very interesting to learn about, and the cheese was amazing!

It was a dreary week in Paderno as it rained on and off every day, but by mid-week we had snow on the mountains and it was gorgeous out!

Early Saturday morning I left campus and took a train to see the second girl that stayed with my family this summer. She lives in Gemona which is right on the border of Slovenia and is surrounded by mountains. The scenery was amazing, but my favorite part was getting to meet her family and friends. They were so welcoming and it was a really nice break from school and touristy places because we just wandered around the small towns in the area. For supper we went to a pub that is known for their broiled chicken, and it was amazing! After supper we went to a festival where there were tents set up for country line dancing. It was really neat to watch and the songs the band was playing were some of my favorite songs from back home. Miriam summed it up to me by saying everyone here wishes they were in your country, which I thought was pretty entertaining.

On Sunday we went to Villa Manin, a large palace in Cordonia, to see a photography exhibition. The photos were all photos taken by Robert Capa, a famous war photographer. It was a very neat exhibition and I was able to test my Italian as all of the descriptions were in Italian. After the exhibition we went to eat lunch and then said our goodbyes as I left to head back to campus. It was an amazing weekend and I am so glad I was able to see the girls that spent the summer with me!

These next two weeks are going to be so busy with homework, exams, and traveling that I will be home before I know it, so we are just going to enjoy each minute we have left in this amazing place