Read Part I here.
After dreaming about it and putting it into the universe, I made it happen. My flights are now booked and my bags are (starting to be) packed. I will be back in Italy in just a few short days. I am honestly still in shock that I’ll be back so soon, but at the same time I know how hard it is to wait having done it before. When I think in full about spending three months in Rome (as an au pair, which I’ll share more about in the future) I cannot contain my excitement. I daydream about the everyday moments that will once again be my life, and I can’t help but grin and feel so much gratitude that I have made it to this moment. I wonder if things have changed since I was there last, if my Italian will be rusty or pick right back up, if the family I’m living with will like me, what the weather will be like, how many museums I’ll visit…it’s all a new part of my journey, and I am so grateful that I believed in myself and my dreams enough to get me to this point.
Believing in yourself is one of the most important things you can do, and silencing the critics inside and outside of your mind is an everyday battle. But if you know who you are and what you want, it’s easier to put those on mute and let your soul lead you to what will ultimately be the best thing for you.
Here’s to following your heart and your dreams to where they lead you, as mine take me to the cobblestone streets and September skies of Rome (I’ve always wanted to see Italy in the autumn)…
The following poem is EXACTLY how I feel about Italy, too.
Italy by Ariel Baptista
I have fallen in love
With the air, the trees
The thinly paved and often cracked roads
And even moreso with those covered in cobblestone.
I have fallen in love with the tanned locals
Old shopkeepers with hats and bifocals
Their calling voices
The natural movement of their hands
The cool sea water
And hot white sands.
I have fallen in love with espresso
And how it feels in my throat
The smell of leather
Taste of gelato
Harbours full of fishing boats
The sound of a vintage vespa
Weaving its way through a crowd
The arguing couple, arguing loud
And this is a country of which to be proud.
I have fallen in love with the architecture
The vast and complex history
The more I learn the more I admit is a mystery.
I have fallen in love with the way the sun shines brighter
The air is fresher
And the fruit is sweeter
The men are bolder
And the books are cheaper.
I have fallen in love with the words they say
And how those words effortlessly roll off their tongues
I breathe in their culture
And try to hold it in my lungs.
Pizza, pesto, cute cafes
Absence of anxiety, holidays
The tourists who view it all through a camera lense
Adventure begins and tension ends.
I have fallen in love with it all
Every flower
Every hue
All those pairs of knock-off sunglasses
I love them too.
Every cloud
Every ray of sunshine
Every drop of dirty riverwater
Every painted line
Every brick
Of every church
On all those hills
In all those tiny towns
That populate the green countryside
And every visionary who in them has lived and died
I love
But most of all
I have fallen in love with the version of me
That comes out when I am in Italy
If you’re curious about living abroad, checkout my tab Amateur Expat. I always kept it there, knowing I’d be living abroad again soon. Now I can’t wait to share more content about it with all of you!