Parma Lovin' Happened So Fast

Last Italian class

Since we started our abroad adventures together in Florence, the 23 of us liked to replace lyrics in popular songs with lyrics that related to us. Hence, "Summer Lovin'" turned into "Parma Lovin'" throughout the last month of our semester. Although filled with sentimental goodbyes, my last week in Parma was wonderful. My finals went fine and studying was mostly stress-free, and my parents visited the last two nights before we met my siblings in Rome for our Mediterranean cruise (which was also amazing!). Our last night in Parma was unforgettable.

Farewell dinner

I have been so incredibly blessed to spend the last four or so months with 22 people I may not have built these kinds of friendships with at BC if it weren't for abroad. We all chose this particular
program for some similar reasons, even if we all aren't necessarily similar people. It just so happened that we all love food and are uniquely weird in ways that surprisingly meshed well together (and brought out new forms of strangeness in our group). Reflecting on how close we all became towards the end, it almost felt like a four-month long retreat with these amazing people! After our delicious 5-course farewell dinner on our last night, we exchanged affirmation letters/notes of encouragement to each person and presented "paper plate award" superlatives. This just epitomized our group's thoughtfulness and healthy sense of humor towards each other. My superlative was "Most Likely to Be Flooded with Packages," which was both a reference to the insane amount of cards and packages I received compared to everyone else (THANK YOU everyone who showed their love to me in that way) as well as the time I flooded our hostel room with my shower. Very clever.

Everyone on Ponte di Mezzo

The rest of the night, we walked around Parma with all of us. We sat on the main bridge in the city, Ponte di Mezzo and headed to Piazza Garibaldi to play ninja and reflect on our experiences. We all sat on the steps of a building in the Piazza and half of us informally got up in front of everyone to share about how much we valued each other and how pivotal this semester was for us in different ways. Some tears were flowing and hugs were offered as we said goodbye to the first person who left in her taxi at 3am. At this point, we ran through the empty streets and made our way to the "secret bakery" for the freshest pastries. At certain pasticceria's throughout the city, the bakers will crack their kitchen doors open no earlier than 2am for whoever wants a cheap, warm Nutella- and love-filled snack. This was one of the greatest ways to end my last night.

I said goodbye to everyone at 4am and prepared for my next adventure with my family. And I am so thankful to God for the experiences I've had and the relationships I've built this semester. I have no doubt that these friendships will continue to strengthen throughout this summer and next year in Boston. Ciao for now :)...