Day 6 in Italy
I went to Rome and I did not find my Italy – that picture of sublime relaxation, that summertime carefree attitude, with a splash of that effortless chic sophistication that only the Italians can do. I went to Naples, and still I did not find my Italy. I arrived in Sorrento yesterday, and as I was sitting on the deck of a wooden sailboat, cruising around the island of Capri, I thought… at last, I have found MY Italy.
Yesterday, I visited what I think just might be paradise. I went on a boat tour of Capri. It was just the captain and his three kids, an Italian couple, a Venezuelan couple, and me out on this beautiful wooden sailboat. Since I was the only one whose primary language is English, we mostly tried to speak Italian and Spanish together and I was surprised at how well I held my own. After all those days trekking around Italy, feeling totally out of place, as I was swimming in the Mediterranean Sea I finally felt completely at home. The water is crystal clear and this deep jewel-tone blue. It was by far one of the most enjoyable days of my life. I even had the boat all to myself for a couple hours as the rest of my group went to have lunch on the island. I stayed behind to swim and nap.
Today I just walked around Sorrento, shopping a bit (I feel very chic with my super cute Italian top and bracelet), and stopping to get a pedicure and massage (it’s been two or three weeks and my back is STILL jacked up… I am really looking forward to seeing a chiropractor). It has been nice to just do nothing and have a real vacation. The only thing that would make this better is travelling with a girlfriend (Ashley… do we need to plan another vacation together?) since I keep wanting to share this experience with someone. I wouldn’t be totally opposed to travelling with a boyfriend if one happened to come my way… as I was swimming from the boat to the rocks along the coast, I found this little cave to swim into and explore and in this secluded little bit of paradise I thought to myself, “this just might be the most romantic place on earth… and I’m alone with the mussels clinging to the rocks”… haha.
It is very weird to have gone from a developing country where many of my friends live off of $40 USD a month, to Italy, where I am eating good food, drinking good wine, and window shopping designer labels. I’ll admit, I have to wrestle a bit with guilt about enjoying this life of indulgence while so many people barely have their basic needs met. I realize that the reality is that I have the incredible luxury of having been able to live in Zambia for a bit, but leave anytime I want and return to an affluent, Western lifestyle, while many of my friends in Africa may never have the ability to just pick up and see the world whenever they want.
Life is weird. It is messy and complicated and wonderful. I think I am finally becoming more comfortable with that… less insistent on “figuring it all out” and more willing to just experience it. It’s amazing to think of how transformative the first 5 years of my “twenties” have been… here’s to the next five! I can’t wait to see what’s in store for me. J
No comments:
Post a Comment