Somehow over a year has flown by since we made the decision to leave everything to travel. Somehow we are 2 sleeps away from taking off to Rome, and beyond. The realness of this has increased a notch with each passing day. After saying goodbye to work 2 weeks ago, Nick and I tried to spend our last week in New York by doing a lot of things we’ve enjoyed doing here our whole lives. We spent some quality time with friends. We sat down with our respective families for a few last dinners. We went to Tobay Beach on the south shore of Long Island, where we spent a lot of time growing up as kids. We went to one last Yankee game, after attending hundreds throughout the course of our upbringing. We got out on the pitch and kicked the soccer ball around a bit, a place where we both feel at home.
So we’ve been a bit quiet in our final days in terms of blog/Instagram posts and you can see why. We have been living in the moment and trying to make the most of the valuable time we have left. With only 1 full day left for goodbyes, I’ve begun to really hone in on what’s ahead. Rome, and to a greater extent, Italy are a few days ahead and I’m excited beyond belief. I always envisioned the first time I visited where my family is from would be an extended stay, and not a vacation. My dream is about to come to fruition, as I’ll get a chance to explore my heritage and culture, and explore the country where my great grandparents came from when they arrived at Ellis Island in NYC. I’ll be sure to see some familiar things in terms of food, culture, language and the like since I am a 3rd generation Italian-American, however, I’m sure I will see an abundance of new and different things. I’ll get a chance to spend what will most likely amount to over a month in Italy, something not too many people get a chance to do. It’s about to become crystal clear why all the hard work and sacrifices I made in the past year were well worth it.
So now that my bag is packed, and the stress of fitting everything in my backpack are behind me, it’s time to look forward to the exciting, uncertain future. I look forward to sharing my adventures with you all through writing, photos and videos. I hope my decision inspires others to go against the societal norm, and do what truly makes them happy. I hope it inspires other travelers to get out there more, or get to that new destination they’ve always been dreaming of. I hope it inspires myself as well, to keep marching forward, being proactive, and to continue to make decisions that will fulfill me as a person and add value to my life and most of all, happiness to myself and those closest to me. Cheers everyone, we’ll see you on the road!
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7/29/17