one way ticket
Posted by Drew | Filed under General
I’m back in Mississippi. I’ll be here until the 28th, then flying back to Italy. It’s possible that this next trip will begin a full year and a half before I come home at all. If I don’t make it back for Christmas this year, then it’s very likely that Christmas 2009 will be the soonest I get on a plane coming back to the States. That’s a strange thought. But I have to consider Italy my home now. I was in a wedding this weekend and for my hometown the program listed Tupelo. But in reality, I have an address in Florence, Italy that, unless something changes, will be my home address for the next several years. My plan is even to become an Italian resident as soon as I can because living there requires being a resident for certain things like opening a bank account and getting a drivers’ license. It does seem strange. All of my moves to Italy in the past had an end date. This one doesn’t.
Recently my parents came to Orlando to visit me during the family weekend that was part of the training I was doing this summer. Many people asked my mom how she felt about me going over to Italy long-term. She said that she’s pretty used to the idea by now since I’ve gone over so many times already. But she pointed out that when I bought a one-way ticket it made things feel a little more real to her that this term is indefinite.
I’ve found myself inviting more and more people to visit me in Florence. Maybe it’s because for the first time I don’t have roommates and can freely offer a place to stay without having to check with anyone else. But maybe it’s because I sense that I won’t be coming home nearly as often as I have been the last few years, and the best chance for me to see friends from home will be when they (y’all) come visit.
But the last 5 years went by really fast. I have no reason to think the next 3-5 won’t also. But don’t let that keep you from coming to visit.
