My Home Away from Home

On December 1st, Siena became a winter wonderland. Although the sun sets early here, this only means that our medieval city turns into a twinkling Christmas paradise that much sooner. Via Montanini, where I live, is now completely covered in lights. Piazza Salimbeni somehow grew a giant Christmas tree overnight, and the streets are always filled with bustling shoppers chattering away in Italian. Even the smell of chesnuts roasting adds to the perfect ambiance of this place I get to live in.

Stella, my home-stay hostess, aka mia madre italiana, even put up a tiny Christmas tree! She now knows that I am "matta per Natale," or crazy for Christmas! However, I don't just love Siena during the holiday season. This Tuscan city has felt like a dream world since September when I arrived. However, it recently hit me that the Sienese celebrate Christmas at the same time the Americans do. Unfortunately, this means I am going to be saying goodbye to Siena much sooner than I would have hoped. I am currently having a bit of trouble juggling my emotions regarding how I feel about leaving what has become my home away from home. Although I am so excited to see my family and friends back in the States, it is going to be a hard adjustment leaving my bella italia lifestyle.

It was summer when I arrived in Italy, and as the seasons have changed, so have I. It seems like yesterday that I excitedly arrived in Siena. I couldn't wait to begin my adventure! Little did I know how much this incredible semester would impact me. Not only did I learn the Italian language, what I think is one of the most beautiful languages in the world; I also have found myself slipping into the Italian culture. I remember it took me about the first full month to understand how to order an Italian coffee. If you order a caffe', you get a teeny espresso. If you order a latte, you are handed a glass of hot milk. If you ask for a macchiato, don't expect something similar to a beverage you'd receive at Starbucks. Finally, if you request your coffee to go, be ready for a cocked eyebrow, and don't expect a Venti sized take away cup!

I think it was once I mastered the art of ordering at an Italian coffee bar (note: "bar" in Italian refers to coffee, NOT alcohol, contradictory to the American connotation of the word), that I really started to feel like I was a part of Siena. The delicious cappuccinos that I frequently treated myself to have only been the icing on the cake to a wonderful semester. I sit here today happy, well travelled and full of almost four months worth of pasta. I am going to leave Siena in a few days knowing that I will definitely return. I could never really say goodbye to this place. The Italians have become my family, and I know some of the streets like the back of my hand. Yet there is still so much about this city that I want to be a part of! Although I will never be quite Sienese enough to get into an official Contrada, I at least need to come back for the Palio (the legendary horse race that takes place in the Piazza del Campo every summer)! Although I will be clear across the world back in Nashville, TN in just a few weeks, there will always be a magical place waiting for me in Italy. A presto Siena!

Kira Burke

CET Siena Student Correspondent