Last Few Days in Italy

After the week long trip with Mike I only had three days before leaving Europe and heading back home to Raleigh. This was just enough time to pack my bags, take a few final laps around the city and say goodbye to all of my good friends. My time in Pavia was incredible! I will miss the streets full of people, amazing gelato, afternoons spent by the river, nights out in Piazza Vittoria, and all of my amazing friends.

A typical day in Pavia was far from average. I would wake up catch a quick shower and leave just before the maid came in to clean the bathroom and turn down my bed. Gary and I would then hop on our bikes and cycle to class. Our journey was around 15 minutes and took us down tree lined streets and past the castle on our way to the university. There I was privileged to listen to lectures from world leading researchers opening my eyes to completely new understandings of structural engineering. For dinner Gary, Enrique, Romain, and myself rotated cooking and cleaning. The system was fantastic! Mostly we would eat chicken and pasta, or sausages in rolls, but occasionally Romain would show off his culinary skill by cooking rabbit or seafood. When we were all feeling lazy we would simply stop by one of the many amazing restaurants for a fresh pizza. Our favorite spot was "C'e Pizza" where a short bowling ball of a man would take our orders and joke around with us in a deep Italian growl. After dinner there was always some entertainment either a few hours of competitive ping pong or a couple of drinks at the Irish pub in the city center. After all the day's activities I would go back to my room to finish my homework and catch up with everyone back home on skype.

It was hard to leave Pavia but I was able to get more closure than when I left Greece. Most of my closest friends had already gone so I had a couple of days to my self while everyone else was beginning their next class. This gave me plenty of alone time for reflection on the long 10 month experience. I had an incredible time and made a lifetime of memories but after being gone for so long I couldn't have been more excited to be headed back home.