From One Home Country to the Next

Sunset on the ferrry

Today we had to move out of our apartment in Firenze, Thursday was our last day of class and finals, and it all feels like just yesterday we were arriving in Rome to meet each other for the first time. I can't believe that the long awaited and long planned study abroad trip is already here and over. We got so lucky with our API group, we all became really close and got to spend time with such wonderful individuals. For those that are staying for next session also, it was bittersweet because they were nervous that those coming next session wouldn't be as fun as all of us. 

Sunrise approaching Croatia

This morning was hectic and stressful trying to pack up our apartment in Firenze to move out. Not realizing how many gifts I accumulated this past month and unable to find the shipping center, I had to frantically buy another suitcase to put the gifts in, where they still all didn't fit. We left our main suitcases at our friends apartment, who is studying in Firenze for 12 weeks this summer, so that we didn't have to travel with them to Croatia. We took a train to Ancona, with a quick train switch in Bologna. We met some backpackers from Maryland on the train to Ancona who were going on our same ferry that evening to Croatia. After a long journey trying to figure out where pick up our tickets, we got a quick pizza and bottle of wine for the ferry and boarded. We got tricked into thinking we couldn't bring alcohol on board, but the captain was just giving us a hard time and said he wouldn't tell anyone. After checking into our private cabin, we ran up to the deck at sunset to snap a few great pictures and saw our friends that we met earlier on the train. We ran into the captain again, while buying our tax-free Kindle chocolate bars, who kindly invited us to visit him on the top deck for a late-night cocktail with some friends. The next morning I woke up for sunrise on the ferry and went to the top deck, it was magical. I got great pictures and just took in all of the beauty around me, seeing my homeland of Croatia for the first time. As the first one in the family to return since Augusta Bujan left in 1910 for her arranged marriage in America, this was so very special to me.

Ciao,

Tarra