Belle Italia

last year on March 23rd I left home for a place where I eventually left a piece of my heart. with my school, we ventured off to the beautiful land of Italy. a place I'd dreamed about for most of my life and a place where I fell in love with life all over again and I learned to love a part of me I never knew existed.

yes, it has been one year, seven months and twenty two days since I first arrived there and I'm only writing this now. this is because only now have I found the words to describe my feelings towards the trip without gawking or just saying "it was amazing". because really, it was more than that. up until now I haven't been able to say how I feel about it because I just wanted to break down crying because my heart broke when I step foot back in Canada to see all of our new architecture, the litter and garbage that filled the streets, and mostly...to see people who take it for granted and don't care. my trip made me realize much more than just "oh that's such a beautiful place, it was so worth it!". it made me believe in beauty and life again and to see that there's more to this horrible world than this little town.

I saw miracles happen on that trip. not physical, right before my eyes miracles. but a miracle in myself. God helped me find myself there and it saved me from myself.

so now as I'm going through the photos again all of these memories come flooding right back and for the firs time, I'm looking at them without tears. I'm looking at them with complete and utter joy and a thankfulness that I could actually go. a thankfulness towards all the people who helped me go, because it really was a miracle.

and now, with all those photos...I'm making a book. a book for me to look back on forever so that it can remind me of the time where I lost hope in myself and found again it all in one. a book for me to laugh over, cry over, and reminisce over. but mainly, I'm making this book to remind me of who I once was, and to show who I am now.