Sunday, January 13, 2008

with gladness and singleness of heart

Today I talked to Maria Louisa!

And then I cried a lot.

Nobody ever told me that studying abroad would change your life in terms of splitting you into pieces -- one with every person you came to love while you lived in a foreign place, and one piece with the place itself and every familiar bit of the walk along the cliff. Mostly they emphasized the traditional benefits like, education in the wide world, broadening your horizons.

I don't want to be that person that talks about their study abroad experience all the time, but I guess I sort of am.

Dr. Skills is coming to visit this Thursday, and that makes me glad -- we'll have lunch with him. Maybe I've got all my crying out of the way right now so that can be a joyous meeting.

I don't think I came back from Orvieto any more certain or grown-up or grounded. I just feel like I can't handle making decisions about people.

But maybe that's what grown-ups feel like all the time.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hate to tell you this...being grown up is a lot like being in college. More responsibilities and perhaps more accumulated wisdom (just like you get a little more experience each year of college) but nothing big and transforming.

Leaving college will also split you in pieces. The good news is that you may have a better chance of seeing the friends...

Lucy said...

um... me too? Love you. Enjoy Dr. Skillen!