Willemstad-Rockford-London-Bologna

My total number of flights for the last ten days is 6. Flying is really fun and every time I take off, I try and do a countdown to see if the plane will take off right when I land on "zero" or "take-off", but I always jump the gun and have to start adding in fractions. In Curacao, I was never on a computer long enough to update, though I really wish this wasn't the case. Everyday was something absolutely beautiful. Does anyone in the midwest remember that feeling of sleeping so comfortably under just one sheet? How about looking through goggles at just the right point where you can see the line the top of the water makes with the air. Feeling the wind 400m above the earth is cool too, especially when there are fossils in the rocks that you are using to anchor yourself on. More than that, it was great being able to do all these great things with my friends. It takes a very unique group to make dances and sing about a special banana (or twinkie) colored van. For all these reasons, as well as the color, warmth and novelty of a new place, Curacao was unforgetable. I will leave the details to the photos, because laundry listing a good time is not a good time.

With freckles on my face, and only 12 hours, I repacked and said goodbye. Rockford might not be the most glorious of cities, but it is my home and saying goodbye was hard. Mostly for those who live there....and the occasional visitor that I really love :).

Seven hours in the air didn't feel like too long, but perhaps I fell asleep and I didn't realize it. British Airways people are so nice! Maybe it is the accent. That helps a lot. One thing I realized on that flight was how much I love the world from above. Every light shines up and is blanked by a cloud. It was beautiful to see patches of light under the clouds, and when they were gone, I knew it had to be the Atlantic. Never been there before!

Exhausted in London, I checked my time frame and opted to head for the city. I always say that I would rather spend my money on things than experiences so I tried to practice what I preach. For the cost of storing my bags and a day train pass, I got to see London...and order an Ale. I told Whitney I would! I've attached a heap of pictures from that too. Lots of the time I didn't know where I was or what I was looking at, but those are details I can discover next time I go.

So, onto Bologna. My plane was full, mostly with Italian speakers and empty seats. As tired as I was, it wasn't very good to hear Italian. Mostly, it was daunting and the reality was hitting me harder than it had before. All those times when my plans didn't work and now here I was. I tend to overdramatize. I realize lots of things on plane rides. Mostly I slept, though not more rested once I hit the ground. In the taxi, I was able to converse with the driver a bit as he brought me around Bologna and to my hotel. Settling in didn't take long, then I slept for 12 hours...long overdue. Today, I felt a bit better when I woke up. I tried to mee tmy new city and find some places to live and it was hard to be honest. It wasn't like anywhere else I had ever seen. The streets are different, and that is all I saw. I am looking forward to taking a more extensive walking tour once my feet and legs and back feel strong again. Still tired, I called a few of those places and struggled through a few sentences. Tomorrow, a new day. Several of the kids in the program are talking about visiting Florence or Venice by the weekend. What do you think? There is enough here to keep me occupied, for now at least.