129 l'ultimo giorno

(above: Etruscan Lupa with Renaissance Romulus and Remus)

Well, it has been 11 weeks, 129 blog posts, and 1 division championship since I started my US/ICOMOS internship. Today is my last day at ICCROM and it's going to be pretty busy with my presentation this afternoon, archiving my work, cleaning off my hard drive, burning CDs, tidying up, and so on.

I honestly haven't decided what I'm going to do tomorrow on my final day to hang out in the city... the beach? the park? the city center? revisit a museum? treat myself to a nice dinner? I was going to buy a big vat of olive oil to take home with me, but with potential airport security problems, it's not worth the trouble.

I will miss living here, but I'm also looking forward to being home again. I can't wait to use an American-style shower. And eat Mexican food. And the one flavor of gelato that doesn't exist in Italy - chocolate and peanut butter. And just being in my new house, of course. And hanging out with the husband and cat as well. And having conversations about college football.

Will there be culture-shock? The last time I returned to the US after several months abroad, I remember being astounded at the quantity of billboards on the side of the highway. What will seem unusual when I get back to DC?

Also, I just want to say thanks to those that kept up with my musings. It was nice knowing that people out there were reading my posts. I plan on writing 1 final wrap-up once I get back home in a few days. Until then, make like a cat in Rome and chill out (in a flowerbox).