Arrivederci, Firenze!

Really, we should say “Ciao, Firenze” instead. “Arrivederci” is formal; “Ciao” is informal, and believe me, we all know Florence intimately after three months. How can we ever say goodbye?

I went to the school the day after the leaving show to get some work done, and I was thrilled to have some students drop by. At the same time, though, it was so sad to realize that this is the last time we would see each other in Florence.

Were they sad too? Just take a look at this beautiful face with one perfect tear running down. I think this says it all.

It’s hard to describe what a program like this does to you. It’s funny, prior to coming on this trip, all of the information meetings and orientations focused on what a life-changing experience this would be for students. And there’s no doubt that it was. We had 170 students here in Florence with us, all with such diverse backgrounds. Some had substantial travel experience, both at home and internationally. Others had never been out of California, and others had never been out of the Bay Area.

When I took my preparation class to dinner in North Beach last December, some of the students were actually coming to San Francisco for the first time, and some had never ridden BART before. These are the students I’m the most proud of – those who just took that leap all at once. You did it!

Yes, there’s no doubt that this trip changed all of the students’ lives, no matter what their backgrounds were. But what was never mentioned the whole time was how a trip like this can change a teacher’s life too. For this is so much more than teaching. Sure, we saw these students in the classroom every day, just like home. But we also saw them everywhere else—at wine tasting classes, cooking classes, ILC lectures, walking tours, museum visits, soccer games, classical concerts, oil tasting classes, dinners, language exchanges, daytrips, and weekend trips. And because Florence really is such a small city, you would see them everywhere you went—walking along the streets, in restaurants, in shops. I even ran into two students at the train station in Como!

And throughout that time we became a family, complete with dysfunctionality at times, but always with unconditional love. We felt that bond, and it became stronger as the months went on. I think all of us kept hoping that that final day would never get here, but, of course, it had to.

On Friday, May 4, most of the students boarded a plane to take them back to the States. The night before, I was walking home after taking my friend and her husband back to their hotel. I was a few blocks from my apartment when I heard “Mrs. Seefer!” I looked back and up, and there were David, Kim, Maria, and Kevin, all hanging out of their upper floor apartment window, waving madly. They had just a few hours to go in Florence, and they were making every minute count. We talked a bit and then said our goodbyes, all promising to get together again in San Francisco.

And the next morning, while walking to pick up my friend and her husband, I happened to glance at their door as I walked by. Sitting outside were bags of things they had left behind, all neatly bundled. It hit me—this was all that was left of them. Our time in Florence was really over. A tear rolled down my face…