Day 90

Today's my last day in Italy and this is presumably my last post on La Dolce Vita! There's still a bit of packing to be done, I need to clean up my apartment and say my final good byes to my new friends! But I wanted to put down these final thoughts that were running through me last evening. I think you tend to introspect more when you're by yourself on foreign ground. Maybe it's because you're out of comfort zone or perhaps it's because you often have more free time on hand with no major commitments.

So, here's a list of things that I have discovered about myself:

1. I love tea! Now this is a little weird since I should technically have developed a taste for coffee. But the more cozy bars here also serve different (and rather exotic) types of tea. While coming from India I brought my box of Taj tea, thinking that I would find European tea rather tasteless. But surprisingly I have developed a liking for the more subtle flavours that are preferred here. Of course I had to travel all the way to Europe to discover something that's really from the East! I hope I continue exploring tea when I am back home.

2. I realise the there are distinct cultural differences between Europeans. Like most people, I tend to club everybody from a region as being the same. But I know now for instance that interacting and working with people from Southern Europe is very different from working with people from the North. The Italians and Spanish are much more family oriented than the Germans or Dutch. At work, you'd better be careful in the way that you critique an Italian or French. But if you're dealing with a Belgian its probably better to be direct.

3. I enjoy being by myself! This is a huge step for me, since there was a time when I hated being alone. I always wanted company around me. In the last few years I have tried gradually to snap out of this need to be around people and the time I have spent by myself in Italy has been crucial. On many an afternoon I have out of choice stepped out alone for a long walk, to have tea in a cozy restaurant, to read on a park bench, to shop by myself. I think its made be calmer and more comfortable with myself.

4. I have rediscovered the pleasures of blogging. I have truly enjoyed writing these 12 posts. I hope I feel inspired to write again when I am back in Bharat!