Italy 2010

Brussels and Roma
Sept 11th.
Arrive in Brussels at 9:13 am = 12:13 am. Of course everything is a little backwards…we don’t have boarding passes for our next flight and we aren’t sure where to go to get them. We set out with some others who are traveling to Rome to try and find our gate. The first song I heard was Ke$ha’s Tic Toc, it makes me laugh because I can still remember the first song I heard the first time I was in Rome which was by Lady Gaga. We go through customs and I get my first stamp in my new passport. We go up the elevator and the first sign that I see is Chocolate. I’m in love. Also, for some reason, the finest black men I have ever seen. I sit and rest while my mom goes around checking out the duty free, but I liked it. Like I said in Florence, when you are traveling with someone it’s nice to have time to yourself.

We hop on our flight and arrive in Rome, and it is as crazy as I remember it. Except s time there weren’t crazy security members yelling. We meet with Sara and try to find Maria Gracia. It was great to see them. There is just something so caring and welcoming about my aunt. We get to my uncles and he comes downstairs to meet us. Seeing him and my mom reunite after 14 years was amazing, it made me so happy. We go inside and sit and start catching up. I was going to make an effort to stay awake and fight the jetlag but of course I lose. I end up going to sleep until dinner. My aunt made Caperese…mmm.
After dinner I Skype with my dad and then we get ready for bed. I fall back asleep, no problem. My mom on the other hand couldn’t sleep. Since she didn’t sleep all night, the next day we decided to skip sightseeing and stay at home and rest. I woke up early anyway hoping to start a routine. I spend the day trying to book the rest of the trip; it’s crazy how the day just went. My mom napped and spent most of the day hanging out with my uncle. It was a nice day. Last time I was in Rome, I wanted to see as much as I could and I wanted to do everything. But I realized that this trip wasn’t about that, because even if I wanted to, someone once told me “You’re never going to do it all.” I wanted this trip to be about spending time with my family, relaxation and hanging out with my mom.
If you told me that I would go to Europe twice in the span of 2 years, I would have bet my life savings that it wouldn’t happen. But being there, being flooded with memories of last summer are just constant reminders of how blessed I am. That night Maria made chicken, salad and this pastry that my mom had asked about. In America we call it a Napoleon, in Italy is called Mille Feuille. We ate and watched the Turkey/USA basketball game. The next morning we were planning on going to Firenze, as much as I loved home cooked meals, I’m excited for gelato, pizza and the markets!