I woke up on my last day in Italy unintentionally early with a large list of things I wanted to do. I learned quickly that my last day would be a day of relaxation and relishing in the memories of my semester rather than accomplishing anything. Sarah and I started by making breakfast and decided to go for a job on the Tiber River. Our run only lasted about a block before we decided it was too nice to be jogging. We had gelato twice, a complimentary cappuccino in the sun and cookies for lunch. We finished our day with my last Italian dinner at the oldest ostaria (Italian for ‘restaurant’) in Rome.
With an early flight Friday morning, I said my goodbyes Thursday night. Luckily a friend was visiting and asked how I planned to get to the airport. After telling her that I had planned on taking the bus to the train to the airport she said, “You do know about the major strike tomorrow, right?” Of course I had no awareness of this. She told me that none of the buses or trains would be in operation. Although I knew I could take a cab, at this point I had unwisely used all of my Euros. For those who know my personality, I was surprised to find I was not flustered at all and decided to go to bed and simply wing it. I had no backup plan and yet, was determined to make my flight.
The next morning I wish I had on video tape. My suitcase was so heavy I had trouble moving it out of my bedroom. I walked out of our apartment building to see both of the buses I could have taken drive by. Luckily, another one came shortly. Once I arrived at the train station, I read the next train to the airport arrived in three minutes. That meant I had three minutes to descend and cross under twelve tracks (with three bags). I quickly made my way to the escalators to see they were out of order for the day. After clunking down two steps, a man who had just reached the bottom turned around to see what the ruckus was, smiled and came up and politely carried my bags down. Typically, all of the tracks have elevator access to them as well. Again, Track 12 was the only one without an elevator. As I started up the stairs, I heard the train come and go. Again, luckily I was greeted by a man panting from failing to make the train as well. Poor man had to carry my suitcase up the steps after running to make a train. Although only half of the trains were running, I only had to wait 30 minutes for the next one to Fiumicino. A baggage carrier for Alitalia Airlines on his way to work warmed up by assisting me with my suitcase onto the train. When I got to the airport I learned my largest bag was almost 70 lbs. Oops. They must have taken pity on me because I wasn’t charged extra.
My flight to Toronto was quite enjoyable. I flew on Air Canada for the first time and I would highly recommend them to anyone. Sadly, the best pasta I had while studying abroad in Italy was aboard my flight home on an Air Canada aircraft. I met lots of nice Canadians as well as another girl from California who was also finishing up her semester abroad.
UPDATE: I now have been home for over a month and although I am happy to be back, I am missing Italy and the friends I made.
