This summer has not just been about the places I have been to or the places I will go, but the people I have met along the way. I truly believe wherever you go, the people make the place. I would have not fallen in love with the University of Pittsburgh without the girl down the hall in my freshmen year dorm (my now best friend) crawling into my room crying about how she broke up with her high school boyfriend. Or if I didn’t turn around at the poster sale introducing myself to two girls I thought looked really cool (my now roommates). Humans are social creatures. Without emotional bonds with people, a place can become lonely and empty.

I digress. The people I have met in Prague have truly made the city. We plan our weekend travels without arguments. We talk to each other out our bedroom windows. We talk about boys on hallway floors. We sit on riversides watching the water rats. Very romantic, I know.

Last weekend we went to Rome for two hours and bused to Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast. The hours we spent traveling from Prague to the Amalfi Coast created a trauma bond. Did you know Rome is one of the most affected cities in the world by climate change. Well, we didn’t and we sure did not look at the weather. We fly into Rome, and taxi our way to the Trinity Fountain. (Do not go to the Trinity Fountain on a Friday it’s cleaning day and happens to be super busy with other people disappointed the fountain is not on.) After, we walk to the Coliseum. It was gorgeous from the outside, but we were too crunched on time and too low on funds to see what it looked like on the inside. So, we looked from the outside. We stood for about 15 minutes looking into the cracks made by the gaps of the Coliseum’s pillars. I basically time travelled and watched all the Gladiator movies during my time staring. After, we got pizza. The waiters were arguing about who was going to take us (I like to blame it on that we looked miserable and sweaty). During lunch we were talking about how it is going to feel so good when we get on our Flix Bus to Sorrento (we did not know our fate.) So, we paid and taxied our way to the bus station excited to feel air conditioning and sleep. We get on the bus, and it is 100 degrees. Everyone is dripping in sweat. In my head, I am thinking this is sure not healthy for your body and what have I done in the past to have this sort of karma? I mean you’re only supposed to be in a sauna for 15 minutes max and I have done several things to receive this karma. As the sun goes down, our moods go up. We finally make it the coast of Italy and the beauty I experienced can not be captured on camera or reflected in my memory. It is 1 of my 7 wonders of the world. I have fallen in love before and I got the same butterflies in my stomach, and numbing of my cheeks from smiling too hard. Thank god Sorrento can’t break my heart. That night my friends and I slept under a AC unit, agreeing we had the best day ever.

What seemed like our biggest problem in Italy is we didn’t have time to assimilate ourselves into the city. We were on a two hour countdown attempting to make seconds last longer and the sun cooler. While Italy was just a brief stop, that same feeling of disconnect is something I have occasionally felt in Prague. The hardest part about assimilating myself into Prague is the different communication styles we have. Czech humour and American girl humour are not the same. My co-workers do not go into depth about their lives, as much as I would expect. In every place I worked, my co-workers and I grew close by telling funny stories that have happened in our lives. Coming into the office asking how you are, what you did last night, and if they have finally gone to the dentist. When I tell my co-workers a funny story or a random comment about my life, they do not find it funny and they are incredibly confused on why I am telling them such a story about my life. Small talk is also awkward. They seem to only do small talk with me because it is apart of American culture. I don’t mind the social miscommunications or differences though, I just like to shut my mouth.

This title of the blog is the song that I listened to all of Italy. Please enjoy.