Ciao a tutti da Italia! As you can guess from the title, I'm writing from Italy - Florence, to be specific. I arrived here this afternoon; luckily the trip was smooth and uneventful. As my first flight was lifting off yesterday, I found myself thinking, "I still can't believe I'm actually doing this, even though it is happening right now." This, in case you were wondering, is returning to Italy (it's been three years since my first visit) to study...yoga. Yep, that's right: yoga. My 200 hour yoga teacher training begins tomorrow and lasts 28 days. I am not sure I ever thought this would be real - I'm combining two things I love (yoga and Italy) into one adventure! For the moment, I can't imagine anything better. :)
I'm going to try this whole blog thing for this trip, and see how it goes. As far as details go, I'm settled into my room and have gone out grocery shopping, found the yoga studio, and just walking around to enjoy the nice weather and get some exercise after being cooped up inside planes and airports since yesterday afternoon. It's nice to be back. I find myself walking along familiar streets or people-watching in piazzas I was in before. Thankfully, the trip out here was much less stressful than the first time - really, less stressful than any other time I've been abroad. Just follow the signs, get on the plane and settle in for a while, wait around during layovers, then repeat. Even finding the shuttle bus (cost 6 euros, in case you were wondering) to get from the airport to the train station wasn't difficult, and walking 15 minutes to meet my host wasn't bad either. Maybe between the prior trips and all the yoga I've been doing for the past year, I've learned to calm down and enjoy the process of going from point A to point B.
On the 7 hour flight from Newark to Frankfurt, the man sitting next to me explained that he was headed to his home country, Bulgaria, for his mother's funeral. He'd look off into space, then talk a bit about his life - his son that he visits once a month in Florida (the guy lives in Jersey), how he and his girlfriend were supposed to go on a vacation together but how yesterday morning he got a call from his sister with the news about his mother's passing...then he went on to say how his friend had a baby yesterday morning. One person leaves this world, another enters. Such is life. I was reading Tuesdays with Morrie on the plane, so this all seemed fitting. He was a nice guy, friendly...hopefully he can find some peace knowing his mother is in a better place.
But, now I am beginning a journey of my own. So let us go, then - you and I...let's see what I discover. I aim to learn not only about yoga (both for my own practice but also to share my knowledge with others through teaching) but also about Italy, and myself. My dream is now my reality.
Love always -
LD
