Final Countdown

I can't believe we are already at the end of our time here in Orvieto. School is done (!!!) and Michelle and I leave Sunday afternoon to start our journey westward. It is kind of sad considering how wonderful Orvieto is, and how much I have grown to love it, but also exciting to start the last leg of our adventure and of course, to go home! I'm not gonna lie--I miss America so freaking much. I have been telling everyone that as soon as I get back I want Starbucks and guacamole, and once I enter my house I'm going to hug my dogs and jump in my pool. One of my friends said she's going to kiss a cactus...I wouldn't go that far, but I get it.

This week has been mostly devoted to final essays, but there have been a few highlights along the way.

1. Cooking Class: I don't have any pictures, unfortunately, but this may have been my best meal in Italy. We learned how to make handmade pasta (tagliatelle), eggplant parmigiana, zucchini flan, pesto, pasta ragu, and tiramisu. Well, "learned" is kind of relative...I'm not confident in my ability to cook any of these dishes again, but I do know I learned how to eat them.

2. Suddenly discovering the best restaurants in Orvieto: For some reason, we hadn't really stumbled upon the best restaurants until the last week or two, and it's sad that it took this long, but so worth the wait.

3. We're being replaced: I have seen a lot of college-aged Americans around Orvieto which makes me think that they are the new crop coming in to be the obnoxious Americans at Bar Duomo. It's sad because I'd like to think everyone here will miss us.

4. Hot, Hot, Hot: The weather has been ridiculously hot and humid this week. I'm ready for the dry heat again.

5. Corpus Domini: It's a big religious festival that I can't really explain (google it), but basically the town is decked out in Medieval banners and there are monk chants blasting from the Duomo that can be heard all throughout town. This weekend all the processions and such are going down, it should be interesting.

6. Tourists Central: Every week the amount of tourists has increased (and the amount increases throughout the week) and they seem to be exploding out of the tour buses these days. Most of them are English speaking, so that's always fun. I also saw a Disney Adventures tour group come through yesterday which was weird to say the least...

7. Parents: Some of the kids in our group's parents are in town, and although it makes me miss my own, it's comforting and exciting to have them here.

8. Saying goodbyes: I can't believe it, but in two days I won't be walking around Orvieto, saying "hi" to everyone I know. Some of my friends are leaving tomorrow and I will miss them.

Tonight is our "Farewell Dinner" which I'm sure will be succeeded by a last big group hoorah at Bar Duomo. Hopefully, there will be some nice pictures of everyone getting all fancy and such.