Exploring Our Connection to People and Place
Picking blueberries reminds me of a time when I was particularly happy. And nothing says home more than good memories.
Inshallah, if God wills, I am writing to you from Italy: the land I fell in love with at the beginning of Covid-19. This time, I bring a piece of home with me.
Sure, Italy was in lockdown. But the truth is, I was having a hard time understanding what that really meant. It’s hard to let go of our plans. When life throws a curveball, we still want to swing.
When I arrived in Rome on March 4, 2020, I was excited. I was in Italy!! Despite travel warnings, I had not canceled my trip. Now, just to recap: when I arrived, Italy had the highest rate of Covid-19 infection in all of Europe.… Continue Reading “How My first Days in Italy During Covid Could Have Killed Me”
Transformational Travel, otherwise known as: My Hero Journey While Traveling in Italy and How I Found My Way Home.
The Cathedral in Nicosia, Sicily, built in the 14th Century, is dedicated to St. Nicholas of Bari, which is said to be how the town got it’s name. Yes, this is the same St. Nick associated with gift-giving, but he is also the patron… Continue Reading “Duomo di Nicosia”
I only spent one evening in Palermo, the capital of Sicily, despite spending eleven weeks in Covid19 isolation, only thirty minutes away. Palermo has a population of 673,000 – which to some folks may feel small. Certainly small compared to Rome or Florence or… Continue Reading “Palermo, Capital of Sicily”
Maybe I have Covid19. I spent four months in Italy when infection rates were the highest in the world. Most of that time I was in Sicily. In quarantine, like everyone else in Italy. Unable to leave my apartment except for necessities. And since… Continue Reading “Covid Testing and Quarantine – Part 1”
Five airports, four flights, and three days to get from Italy back to Tulsa during Covid19. Here’s a quick snapshot of what that was like.
Leaving Italy after four months during Coronovirus proved a bit more challenging than I expected.
Why does one place feel like home and another place, while beautiful or lovely in many ways, does not? To put it simply (very simply), places become imprinted on us when our experiences there are significant and good. Typically, these imprints happen when we… Continue Reading “Finding Home: Imprints and Italy”
Sicilian roads are harrowing yet offer the most incredibly views. Ultimately, they have a lot to say about my own life and journey.