Coming to an end

Today was my last day with the little ones … and it didn’t quite go as planned. We woke up early and stopped by a flower stand on the corner, bought some pretty plants to give to my teacher (along with wine I had previously purchased), and grabbed a cappuccino and croissant from Bar Danielle. It started off as a great morning… I even got a seat on the bus. Well, when I get to school the kids start showing up so much later than usual… it is 8:55 and there were only 7 kids. 9 o’clock rolls around when circle time starts and 7 kids are still missing… Alessandro and Diamante weren’t there :( I was so, so sad. I got so attached to them and not being able to say goodbye was not how I wanted it to end. I wrote the 7 students notes saying goodbye. I’ve never been good with goodbyes… I tend to avoid them… but saying bye to someone knowing you’ll eventually see them is much different than saying goodbye knowing you’ll never see them again. Yes, I cried.

waiting for the bus for the last time!

Despite my favorite sausages not being there, the day was extremely painless. No melt downs, crying fits, or fights. We played all day long. Music put me in a bad mood… but I tried to stay smiling and not let it bother me. The woman just drives me crazy… i’ve never met an older woman who I don’t like. Older people and babies are people I just gravitate towards… not this one. She’s a witch. I’ve been there for four weeks and am with her two times a week (8 times) and she still didn’t know my name on the last day… miss teacher is what she refers to me as. That doesn’t deserve a response.

The kids made me an adorable book and were absolutely precious giving it to me. They kept asking why I have to go back to America and I said “I have to go back to my mommy and daddy. They miss me!” which they understood. Explaining I’m studying over here and whatnot is too complex for a four year old. We had a little party, exchange gifts, and had a great time. I got such a different vibe from my teachers today… I knew they liked me… but they weren’t extremely bubbly people and I would sometimes get weird vibes from them. My one teacher (English one) kept saying “you’re wonderful!” Maybe it was because I bought her wine…. Or maybe because I’m no longer an extra body in her classroom… or maybe she genuinely thinks that. They hugged me about 50 times and on the last hug the English teacher did the kiss on both cheeks thing… I knew I was going to mess this up while being here so here’s the story: she gave me a hug and kissed me on both cheeks then my brazillian teacher gave me a hug and I started to lean in to kiss her on both cheeks… well, that was awkward. She started doing the Mom chuckle and I probably turned beat red. Oh well, I guess I’ll never see her again. I bought a Marymount t-shirt to end my experience there J The only thing that would have made this experience better would be able to say goodbye to the rest of my kiddos. I learned so much and had an absolutely wonderful time.

On our way back a group of us decided to stop at the pastry shop that Lori and I discovered one day. It exceeded my expectations. So scrumptious. I’m semi glad we didn’t discover it earlier… I would have been a whale and a half.

Our final group dinner was tonight at a restaurant across the street (Max set it up.) It may have been one of the best dinners this entire trip… a five course meal. Everyone was stuffed and had a wonderful time. So after dinner is where it all got… interesting. We left at 9:40 to go to a “summer disco” where Max said we would be an “elite group.” Everything was supposed to be paid for and we were supposed to get a free drink. (He only talked to me and Kyle about this…) Okay, so we take the bus, walk past the Colosseum, get lost a little bit, and finally find our way there. Summer disco is NOT how I would have described it… and when Max said “I suggest you wear nice dress” I’m pretty sure he meant where the article of clothing that exposes you the most. We all looked like GRANDMAS compared to these Italians, but that’s nothing new for me and it did a good job of keeping the Italians away. Words can’t really describe the night. They didn’t understand our tickets were paid for… and to get out we had to exchange our “in pass” for an “out pass” and pay 15 euros. That included a drink so we all just decided to get a drink… I decided to get some drink an Italian lady recommended… bad decision.. it was basically straight sugar. But despite paying 15 euros for one drink and a ticket to leave the place, it was SUCH a fun night… we were all mesmerized by where we were and what we were watching. Here are some pictures… they don’t do it justice.. 

giving Kyle and Steve a thank you gift!

summer disco?