Just when I think my week could not get any better, Europe proves me wrong. The girls and I decided last night that we would take the train to the beach. We got directions from Nas and he pulled up the train schedule for us. The train left every hour to Fondi. In the morning we all peeled our bodies out of our beds and went down for breakfast. We laughed about all the madness the night before and the fact that Lisa fell asleep downstairs in the lobby.
When we stopped in the computer lab to send out our emails for the day we met Jessica. She was traveling from Canada. We asked her if she wanted to join Lisa, Lu and I to the beach. It was an hour away by train and we are all a bit retarded when it comes to finding our way but between the four of us- we would surely find it.
We reached the train station, and I led the girls on how to buy the tickets on the automatic ticket machine. I was getting better at this. We picked up prussicuto sandwiches and got harassed by people with missing appendages for money. This was a daily episode in the station.
The line for food was long so as we were walking to the platform, we only had 5 minutes before departure. We boarded the train only to find their were no seats. I've never taken a train where they didn't assign you to a seat. I told the girls we should try the next carriage to see if we could find a spot to sit. An hour standing was not very appealing. With only a few minutes until departure we risked it and dashed over to the next carriage. This was full as well, so we were stuck standing. Lisa turned to the man next to her to ensure we were on the right train. He said yes, but pointed out that we didn't validate our ticket with the stamp. We had forgot! The four of us sprinted down the station to the machine. I felt like we were in The Amazing Race. They were all screaming and laughing. We couldn't miss this train. With my hands now shaking, I shoved the ticket in the machine. The woman said to me "broken" The machine didn't work and we didn't have enough time to run to the next platform. With a minute to spare, we would have to risk getting fined. We sprinted back to the first carriage and plopped on the floor.
On the train, Jessica shared with us her background story and all the places she had traveled to so far. We ate our sandwiches and recapped all the details last night for Jessica. I sitting there on the floor and thought again how it was so fun hanging out with the Australians but nothing compares to good quality girl time.
At the next stop, half the train unloaded so we snagged seats. Lu and I sat across from each other and we talked about her boyfriend. I adored her Chile accent. I asked her more about their relationship specifically what led her to want to end it when she gets home. She opened up to me and told me so many things that I have faced in the past with boyfriends. Her main reasons were that she feels like they have many things in common but the most important factor- her love for travel, he does not share. He has never even left Chile. I could definitely relate. We talked for a long time about the little things that drive us mad when it comes to men. All while passing throughout the beautiful Italy countryside. One thing she said that really hit home was when she said the biggest thing her boyfriend did not embrace was that she was a dreamer. I immediately smiled. She paused and asked why. I told her that I too was a dreamer. She told me that she is sure her friends think she's crazy but she always follows her dreams. She told me that for her birthday last year, she went on a trip on her on to Peru alone. Everyone told her she couldn't do the trip on her own, but she spent her birthday in the Amazon, sleeping under a mosquito net. It was funny to me because when I first met Luciana in the hostel room, she was a little on the quiet side and now I felt like she was a life long friend and we were talking about love and sex and life.
We arrived to Fondi and met back up with Lisa and Jessica. Now that we made it to the station, the next task was finding the beach. We asked everyone at the station and some German guy, Peter and his Argentinean friend Pablo said they were headed the same direction. They led us to the bus and we hopped on that for another fifteen minutes to the beach for one Euro. The drive through the country on the bus was even more beautiful then the train. We passed through roads lined with oak trees, palm trees, mountains, and pastures filled with daisies. The mountains in the background were out of this world. The girls were talking to Pablo and Peter but I was staring out the window soaking up as much as Italy as I could. I didn't want to leave in two days. I absolutely loved it here. They say Barcelona is one of the most amazing cities to visit but I wasn't sure it could compare to my trip to Italy. And to think Italy wasn't even part of the plan. Originally, I was only going to go to Spain, but when I was booking my flight I thought- you only live once, why not do both? So here I am, in the country I was never planning to be and having the experience of a lifetime.
The bus dropped us off right at the beach, we had finally arrived. We all laughed because after the chaotic train experience and finding the bus, we weren't even sure if we would ever find our way to the beach.
We made our way down the steps leading us to the ocean. This would be my first glimpse of the Mediterranean. The view was spectacular. There were villas tucked away in the hills bordering the beach to the far right. To the left there were beautiful uneven mountains in the distance. The water was flat and inviting. There were no crashing waves and the water was warm so we were excited to take a dip.
We laid down our towels and finally relaxed. We needed a day at the beach. All of us had been traveling non stop and explored the city with every free second. A girls day at the beach was the perfect ingredient to our perfect week.
Lisa and Jessica went to get a bite to eat so Lu and I put our sunscreen and admired the ocean. We talked about love again. She told me a love story about her friend that fell for a guy on a trip and now they've been dating for two years. She asked me how long I had been single for and if I was open to love again. I told her I had something in the mix but had no idea what would happen. I told her how when I first arrived in California I went out with my friends for the super bowl and I met Anthony. We met dancing with my friends, he was really handsome and I had so much fun that night with him. When we were getting ready to leave, he asked for my number. I asked when I would see him again and he said he was leaving for the east coast the next morning and wouldn't be returning to San Diego for six months. I was confused and thought maybe he was in the navy. He explained that he played baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates Farm team. I chalked this up as, I would never see him again. A lot could happen in six months. I did hear from him though. I travel around the country for work and he travels around the east coast for baseball so we had similar lifestyles when it came to this. Every so often Anthony would send me a text and ask what state I was in. I'd respond- "Georgia, you? " He'd respond "Jersey" this went on for months but it was always really short messages, nothing too complicated. I was dating Will for a little bit so at one point stopped responding to Anthony. I broke it off with Will and by June Anthony was checking in again. I had no idea why he hadn't given up. I responded back and we kept in touch more. I'd let him know when I was in Vegas or Atlanta. He'd check in and tell me Pennsylvania or Ohio. It was kind of a fun random connection we had. Last month, he texted me that he wanted to call. This threw me off. I mean, it makes sense that we should talk but what would the guy on the other end be like? I couldn't even remember what his voice sounded like, we only met once. I thought about it more. What would one phone call hurt? I told him to call my hotel when I was in Riverside for work. The phone rang in my room and I got nervous. What would it be like to talk to Anthony.
He was incredibly easy to talk to, so much that know we were now talking all the time. I looked forward to hearing from him now. He told me he moves back to San Diego in September and wants to take me on a date. It's not something I'm necessarily waiting for, but I am looking forward to finally seeing each other in person. There was something about him that intrigued me.
I went on to tell Lu, the morning I left my apartment for Italy, I checked my mail one last time. I had a bunch of junk mail and one card with no return address. I shoved it in my pack, Becca and Tavis had the car pulled up, waiting to take me to the airport. I didn't get a chance to open the card until the airport. It was a birthday card from Anthony. I couldn't believe that he had taken the time to send me a card. He wrote that he hoped I had a great birthday and that he wanted to get me a gift when he gets back to San Diego. He said he will get me my favorite- a bottle of Jameson. Then there was a little white piece of paper that fell out of the card. It read " one free bottle of Jameson for Julie" It made me laugh- and smile. Making a coupon was a creative touch.
Lu yelled at me- " you already have a love story! I want one like that!" I had the card in my pack so pulled it out and she read it. She loved the coupon as well. She asked for me to keep her posted after we go out on our date.
I don't know what will happen with Anthony, but he made me feel special on my birthday. It was incredibly thoughtful and I loved that he took a chance to send it. Not a lot of men would send a card and not a lot of men would make a homemade coupon.
Now Lu and I were burning up and she asked if I had my daily gelato. All the girls poked fun of my rule I was following here. That was one tip I held true to in Italy, a gelato every day. We went for walk on the beach while it was Lisa and Jessica's turn to guard our bags. Lu and I found a gelato shop, tried two new flavors and bought a beer. We sat at table overlooking the ocean, propped our feet up and were pretending we were at a resort. We had been roaming around the city for the last week and had not had a beach day like this. I asked Lu what her next big trip would be and she said she has plans to fly to the U.S To visit her cousin in San Diego and Vegas in February. We both got really excited that we would be seeing each other in only a five or six months. I told her she must stay with me and all the things I'll take her to do in San Diego. I described San Diego as " A playground for adults" There are so many amazing things to do. I told her how living there was a dream come true. After I described Cali, I asked her to tell me more about Chile. I really didn't know anything about her country. She talked to me about the city and about the people. Lu is so fascinating to speak with. She makes everything sound so much more lovelier in her Chile accent. She talked about her job that she didn't care for and I asked her what she would do if she could have job in the world. She went on to tell me about her dream of opening a lingerie shop in another country. Her family makes beautiful natural lingerie and she believes it no other countries have anything like it. She said it wouldn't compete with Victoria Secret in the U.S. But other countries would really embrace it. It was so cool to see her light up about her passion and I admired her. She reminded me a lot of myself in the way she gets her mind set on something, she was a dreamer. I encouraged her to find a way and I know she will. I had no idea I would meet such influential women on this trip.
We walked back down the beach to meet back up with the girls. Lu set up camp next to our belongings while Jessica, Lisa and I went into the ocean. We waded around for an hour, talked about our plans for tonight and enjoyed the warm Mediterranean. The girls decided to head back up to lay out and I stayed behind. I wanted a moment. I looked out at everything in front of me, the ocean, the mountains, the beautiful land of Italy and I cried. I was loving every second of this life changing trip. I thought I would wake up today and have nothing to write about. I didn't think I would have the conversation of a life time with a girl from Chile that truly moved me. I didn't think I would have a Girls beach trip and laugh my head off for forgetting to validate our tickets. I didn't believe that after moving to California and all the amazing experiences I've had so far, that I could be blessed with a trip that would change my whole world and make me appreciate things to a whole new level. This trip is teaching me that the life is full of surprises and gifts.
After being in the water for another hour, I headed back to shore. It was already approaching 7pm. None of us had remembered to check the return time for the train. We met back up with Peter and Pablo to the bus. We asked a few people walking by if they knew what time the next bus came. No one spoke English. I pulled out my iPod and hit the Bus App button and how to ask for directions. Like a light switch, they now understood me. The next bus came in twenty minutes so we got a beer and shopped in the little town.
Once the bus came, we headed back to the train. While we drove back through the train station Jessica asked when I had moved to Cali from Ohio. I told her that I moved in January. She asked if I had a job beforehand and I told her that I relocated for work. She said that must be nice that they let you move. I told her it was not as easy as it sounded, the process took almost a year. She asked me more so I told her how I always knew I wanted to move out of Ohio, I just hadn't figured out where yet. For two years, I traveled all over the U.S for work and had been secretly searching for my new destination. Every place was great, but I never left with a burning desire to live in one of these cities. It wasn't until last year, I went to Tory's bachelorette party in San Diego. When I arrived, I knew right away. The city made me feel something. It was an undeniable feeling and I couldn't shake it. I told Lisa who threw the Bach party that I was going to move here, I was in love. She was incredibly sweet and told me if I do end up moving that I was welcome to stay with her while I searched for an apartment.
That week I flew home and drafted a proposal for my company for me to relocate to San Diego. After a month, they called me and declined. I didn't believe it, I didn't give up. I knew how badly I wanted to live there and how I felt when I was in this city. I would move, it just was a matter of when not how. I saved the picture I had taken at the beach as my phone background and my background on my work laptop. I looked at that picture every day and just believed it would happen. I would make my way to my dream.
My company came back to me with San Francisco and I declined. I knew deep down that there was a reason my body and my mind believed this crazy idea. I stuck it out.
Four months later, I flew to my home office in Kansas for the managers meeting. After the meeting concluded, my boss and the Director called me in their office for a meeting. They asked the question I had been waiting for months " Are you still interesting in San Diego?" They offered me the position as the So Cal Area Sales Manager. I couldn't believe it, all that time- my instincts were right. My dream was finally happening. They flew me out to San Diego in November and I stayed with Lisa. I found the perfect apartment and Lisa took me out to happy hour with her friends. These are the people I now call my friends. I drove across the country with my best friend Ashley January 2nd and now can honestly say that I am the happiest I've ever been. I love my new life. I told Jessica that I fell for San Diego like how you fall for a boy. I got the butterflies, I trusted my gut and knew more than anything that this is where I was supposed to be. I refused to give up. One of my favorite quotes is "Patience is a virtue" I would wait.
Jessica cut me off and told me I inspired her. She told me she had goose bumps. She has been dreaming to move out of Canada but doesn't know where. She didn't know what country she wants to live but knows she is supposed to. She said hearing my story is inspirational. Now I had the chills. Here I am, trying to learn more and soak up every lesson as I can from strangers. I had no idea what influence I had on them. Sometimes we forget how inspirational our own stories and influences can be. We always assume someone else is the influencer who knows all, but it's an important reminder that we need to step back and share our story if it is powerful. I didn't realize how much of a powerful message mine had. Here was a girl that didn't know why and often felt crazy for feeling she should move. She hears that I felt those same crazy thoughts, trusted my gut and found my happy ending. Through meeting me, she knows anything is possible if you never give up.
We arrived to the train station with only ten minutes to buy our tickets at the machine and cross the tunnel over the tracks. Peter and Pablo went first. Then each one of the girls went and now Lu was up. Peter yelled that we only had three minutes left and we still had to cross the track. Lu rushed to put her final Euros in the machine but didn't have enough, now time was ticking and we were all scrambling in our purses to find coins. I gave her my last two Euros because I would be paying with my credit card. A man walked by and told us that the credit card slot was broken in Italian. It took a few hand motions for us to understand what he meant. Now Peter was screaming at us it was time to go and Lu and I were panicked. I gave her the last of my money.
All four of them, including Peter were now scrambling to find coins for me. We needed six Euros. We were all throwing coins in the slot like a loose cannon at the slots in Vegas. Pablo was yelling to hurry and we were all stressed and laughing at the same time. My ticket started to print and Peter told us to start running and that he would grab the ticket and be right behind us. The girls, Pablo and I sprinted across the tunnel over the tracks onto the other side. We made it and began laughing uncontrollably on how ridiculous we are when it comes to last minute trains.
Lu and I sat together and fell asleep for the hour train ride, this time we had seats. Once we arrived back to Rome I had to change rooms. The hostel I booked required a room change after the second night. I hated this because I had become really close to the girls. I checked in with Nas and asked where my new room was. He gave me the room to the fourth floor and told me it was a mixed dorm. Nas had become my friend and my favorite host so I asked him if I could be in an all girls room. He checked the computer but could not find a room for me. I would have to sleep in an 8 room mixed room tonight.
I decided to take the stairs because I did not exercise today. Once I reached the third floor, I realized with my pack, this was a little ambitious. I reached my room huffing and puffing. I knocked on my door and a young boy stood behind it. I said ciao and walked into a room full of seven very young boys, half of them shirtless. They were all from London and seemed very eager to hear where I was from. I set my pack on my bed and told them I was from California. They asked my name and I told them Julie, they said they would call me Juliet. I asked their names and they went around the room one by one. When I got to Jacob, I interrupted him and told him he looked exactly like Jacob from Twilight. He even had his shirt off and had the chiseled abs. Simultaneously, they all laughed. He told me he gets that all the time. They went through the rest of the introductions and then asked if I could now recite all the seven names. I'm in sales so am pretty good at this. I went through, pointed to each of them as I rattled of their names. They were impressed. We all laughed and they asked how I did that. I actually had never tried that many at once, but loved that I pulled it off.
I started to unpack my things and they asked if I would share my story. They had me start from college and up until now. Their reactions and how engaged they were was so cute. They asked if I was married and I told them no. In unison, they all responded in an excited tone, "ohhhh" I cut them off and told them I was close once. All again they said in a disgusted tone "aghhhhh" but then I corrected them and said I wasn't with him anymore. All again, they said "ohhhh" I didn't realize how quickly you could dance over how you got to where you are in life but there boys made my day for asking.
I jumped in the shower and headed downstairs. I was starving but didn't have a Euro to my name and didn't have my ATM card when I was at the train station so just decided I would skip dinner tonight. It was already 10pm now anyway. I plopped down in the computer lab couch to Blog and Nas came in to check on me. He asked how the beach was and I thanked him for the directions and boasted about how much fun we had. An hour later he came back and asked if I needed anything. I told him jokingly that I was starving so a pizza would be great. He asked why I didn't eat dinner and I told him I didn't have time to grab cash today. A few minutes later Nas came back with a box full of mozzarella and basil pizza. It was incredibly sweet. I hugged him and thanked him for my present. He left the room and then came back a few minutes later with a Peroni beer. He asked if I was blogging and I told him I would be up just a little while longer. He asked if this would be my last night in Rome. I told him I was actually staying one more night but haven't figured out where I'm staying the last night. He walked out of the room and returned to tell me that he booked me another night and changed my room to an all girls room for the next two nights. He knew I didn't especially want to sleep with the room full of boys.
Jeff stopped by the computer room to tell me about his day at the Vatican and asked if I was writing again. The girls came down and said they wouldn't interrupt me for long but wanted to have a laugh because they asked Nas where my new room was so went up to say hi and was greeted by a room full of what appeared to be fifteen year olds. They found this hysterical.
The people who keep crossing my path will remain in my memory forever. Everyone who I have met so far have truly touched me. I can't get over how generous everyone is. It makes you wonder, if I had stayed in another hostel, would I have had the same experiences, just with different people? I guess that question, I'll never know. But one thing I do know is that I will remember this trip for the rest of my life.