Time and Life (it's not as deep as it sounds).

Looking back on my last night in Vicenza, it was truly the perfect ending to three ridiculously awesome - for the lack of a better word - months.  Sitting in Piazzetta Palladio with Duy, drinking prosecco served to us by our friend Ricky at venti-cinque, slowly sipping in silence as we watched the streams of people flow and ebb in the two piazzas.  It was how the trip had begun; the most pure form of "traveling".  Two friends half way around the world exploring.  But this time we were not struggling to find food or friends or to understand the language.  We had traveled to this city.  We had lived in this city.  We were comfortable in this city.  And there we sat, in our Italian city, enjoying our last glass of wine together.  I will never forget the pure joy of that night.


I wrote the first two sentences of this post in June, sitting in my parents hotel room in Florence, up late because I couldn't sleep.  The transition between traveling and being on vacation came as soon as we left Vicenza for the Cinque Terre*.  The last 8** days in Italy for me was more a time of reflection than exploration.  It was also pretty emotionally rough on me, with a tough loss at home and saying goodbye to my friends.  But it wasn't until now that I could figure out how to properly express myself: I wanted the myth of that last night in Vicenza to become a truth.  That last night was one of those moments that is so perfect that no matter how hard I could ever try to replicate it the people and events and place could never quite be exactly the same.  No matter how hard I could try to freeze my life at that moment, time just keeps rolling and life goes on.


*Parents, those last 8 days were great though.  Except for the Cinque Terre.  We're in agreement there though.


**Parents, I am so sorry I lost my passport and made 8 days into 10.  Again.  We've been over this.


So, in case you were wondering, I'm back, still alive and kickin'.  I decided that it might actually be okay to keep up a blog every now and then.  I'm not really convinced it is, but I do like writing, and I know the fam down in the bay likes to hear what I'm up to so why not?


Here's what I've been up to.  The major highlights:


Summer:
-I lived in Eugene.
-I took French 202 and 203.  They were still too easy but speaking french every day for three hours definitely helped me improve my overall grammar and vocabulary.
-I was the photographer for the Eugene Emeralds single-A short-season baseball team.  The job was fun and I really like my boss, but the organization is a joke.
-I turned 21, so I learned how expensive bars are in the US.
-My roommate and I decided to "start" a "company".  It's called Donc (Dunque in italiano).  We "hired" our friend Kimmy to be our graphic designer.  So far she's done the most work.  We expect to be moving some sort of skiing related product/items of clothing in the next 20 years.


Fall:
-Still in Eugene.  Taking a light load of classes: Studio, History of Shogun's Japan, Grant Proposal Writing and Rock Climbing II: Conditioning.
-My studio project is a redesign of Eugene's City Hall trying to dampen costs by reusing the existing concrete structure and building up.  It's the most realistic project I think I will ever have in school because there is a real budget, real building, real site, and real people, which makes it incredibly challenging but very fun.
-Rock II is as awful as it sounds, but I like it.
-Our football team is kicking butt and taking names (take that PETER! USC's looking a little weak after what we did to you guys last weekend)... I've gone to every home game.


Which brings us to now.  Life has been great the past few months, continues to be excellent now, and as it's almost ski season it seems like it can only get better right?  It's amazing how time flies.


Just last week I attended and spoke at a Vicenza 2011 Study Abroad meeting for students interested in next year's program.  I've held off saying this for a while now, but I can truly say that it was the greatest experience of my life.  Best three months, hands down.  Just sitting there and talking with my classmates about it brought back all the great memories.  But it's not just reminiscing with my friends, what I learned in Europe is entering my life: from food to fashion to studio.  I don't have salad dressing, only oil and vinegar.  I got a fancy hoodie, that looks like an even fancier jacket.  I'm more concerned with how my studio project affects the street and city fabric of Eugene than how the internal circulation works.  Whether I like it or not, my spring in europe will probably continue to influence me for years.


So I pause here for a moment to write these thoughts down, reflect on the great times had, dream of the great times to come, and just keep on living.