Leave yourself behind, part II

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!