Post date: May 01, 2014 11:29:24 PM
Week 4: Day 4
It was hard to believe, but today was the last day of school. The last day I would walk down Via Zara to take the bus, the last morning I would walk down Via Garabaldi. Sitting on the bus I began to think of what Maria Grazia said: We are no longer tourists, we know where we are going, we have our favorite places, we know people, we are a part of the city. During these four weeks this place has become our home, and these people our family. Although we are not real Genovese, we had found our place in the city. Being my last time walking in the morning, I made sure to look around, notice my favorite parts of the architecture, smell the sweets and breads, and soak up everything Genova has given to me.
This afternoon we went to the Aquarium! Walking down to Porto Antico we all felt like little kids, giddy and excited! Passing the immigrants selling souvenirs at the dock, we walked close together. The only thing they will do to freak you out is touching you. They will walk right up to you, touch your arm, hold out whatever they are selling and say ‘It’s Free Today!’ The worst was when a man tried to tie a bracelet around someone’s wrist. Being a big group with many women, we attracted attention quickly. This one man came up and started touching people’s arms saying ‘I love you! This is for my love!’ While he wasn’t aggressive, we were all very grateful when we got to escape him and go inside the aquarium. The aquarium was a lot of fun! We stood and watched the exhibits in awe, savoring the amazing animals in front of us, and Italian being spoken behind us.
For dinner that night, we all went to a pizzeria on Corso Italia. It was the perfect last supper. All of us sitting at a long table, drinking wine and eating pizza, talking about the amazing adventure of our month! We gave Maria Grazia her surprise, a canvas with ‘Grazie Mille Maria Grazia,’ a kangaroo, and all of our signatures on it. We could not have asked for a better mama kangaroo! After dinner we walked down Corso Italia and watched the sun set on our last full day. Tomorrow we would be going home to America, taking with us the random souvenirs we acquired and the knowledge that we adapted, opened up, and became apart of an amazing city.