Written by Megan
That’s all, folks! The Terra group has been back home for almost 2 weeks, adjusting back to the normal pace of daily life. Did we really just do all that we did? Whatever motivated each student to step on that plane on September 15th and fly to a foreign country with complete strangers, we applaud them! It takes courage to do what others aren’t doing- to walk your own path. Many expressed that this gap semester went above and beyond their expectations.
Let’s reflect on all that we did:
We stayed on an organic farm for a week in Umbria in a village of 14 people, where we harvested grapes, milked a cow, made fresh mozzarella and a homemade pizza in an authentic Italian brick oven.
We ran around Rome and learned about a few thousand years worth of history, and devoured countless plates of pasta and consumed countless cups of cappuccinos.
We trekked 40 miles across a centuries-old trail that had been followed by pilgrims from Canterbury to Vatican City.
We explored one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Florence, and stood in awe of the Renaissance and Gothic architecture.
We picked and roasted chestnuts, herded farm animals, lived off the land, and met international travelers with whom we journaled, created, laughed, cried, hugged.
We traveled by bus, train, and subway to southern Italy, where we learned how to make fresh olive oil, soap, pasta from scratch, and challenged ourselves to come together as a group.
We lived on Crete and studied ancient archaeology, Greek language and dancing, cooked with locals, and honed our pottery skills.
We lost a leader we loved. We gained a leader we loved.
We jetsetted to Athens, walked in the footsteps of the Greek gods and ancient philosophers and celebrated birthdays.
We retreated to the mountains of Seliana, where we were nurtured with warmth and kindness, organic food for our bodies and souls, and learned about permaculture, composting, living a minimalistic life, and how to stay conscientious of our carbon footprint.
We road-tripped across the Peloponnese peninsula and enjoyed our last stops in Olympia, Kalamata, and Nafplio, where we visited our final farms- a honey farm and an orange farm- raced at the original site of the Olympics, and scaled the walls of a medieval fortress.
We learned how to be better human beings and how to take care of this fragile planet.
All this in less than 10 weeks??? The growth each of us experienced has been exponential. The change in all of us will last a lifetime. Fourteen adventurers began on a journey and traveled over 1,000 miles through Italy and Greece. We started as strangers, and we ended as a family. We first become travelers; then we become storytellers.
Well done, Terra! We are beyond proud of you. Ciao for now, until we meet again. Now you have your own stories to tell.