Hello everyone! Whew! It's been crazy here, let me tell you. I can't believe we leave for Italy in less than twenty-four hours. By the time some of you read this, we'll actually be there! I'm coming to you from the hammock outside Villa Heorot, where I'm watching people make last minute preparations to the houses. While we're gone, a crew of roofers are going to redo all the old villa roofs. We're all more or less ready to go— though I suppose we have to be at this point. The villa center would normally be bustling with this many fellows home from work, but everyone is either cleaning or packing. I know everyone is tired of waiting. We just want it to be tomorrow already. I can't wait to look out my window and see the rolling hills of Tuscany. Having never been out of the country, let alone to Europe, I couldn't be more excited! Unfortunately, what with everything we have been doing and everything we have left to do, I'll have to keep this somewhat brief. Don't worry though, I'll make it up to you with letters every other day from Villa Morghen.
So the week was pretty simple. Most days we just did our math, followed the music, and went to work. By Thursday we were ready for a change. The girls all scheduled a night out at the Bortins, so the guys went on an adventure by ourselves. (It was awesome and it was better.) We ended up reluctantly meeting to share the water at the Bortins, then it was adios again, and the night continued. Everyone enjoyed themselves and the relaxation, something we all saw the next day in class.
Friday was a good day. We all enjoyed class and got along well. Mrs. Bortins let us stay home from work to prepare if we needed to. While most of us did, Laura went to get a long day of recording, and Chris, Zach and I came along for the ride. Mr. Infantino was expecting us early, and we spent the first half hour at his house looking at pictures from his trip to Florence and Venice and listening to practical advice on traveling. So after work, we went to the park to climb trees, and from there into town to eat and do some shopping. If the week was defined by routine, the resulting weekend was an endless stream of trips to town. Two more trips were made that night alone.
We caught up on a little sleep on Saturday and got back to our preparations. The villa was practically dead all morning, with everyone either sleeping or gone. Samuel went on a spontaneous trip to the beach with the Bortins, while Alec, Seth, and David went to a rugby game. Christopher and Olivia's families came to visit, and Mrs. Knooihuizen made pasta for anyone who cared to drop by. (We cared. Very much.) After everyone left, a bunch of us went to the Bortins' to watch Casablanca. We turned in early to get ready for Sunday.
Sunday went by too quickly, and we enjoyed every fleeting minute. Pastor Skogen embarrassed Caleb from the pulpit twice, garnering laughs from the whole congregation, but none louder than ours. We love Caleb, and though we tease him quite a lot, we really appreciate him more than we usually let on. Since Sunday afternoon, we've been cleaning and packing. We washed all the cars and houses and did oodles of laundry. After class and music this morning, the craziness resumed. At this point, everything has been taken care of, and we're simply waiting for tomorrow. I can't believe we have class though. Honestly, I don't mind. I'm ready, and we might as well. That is so very like Mrs. Bortins though, to go straight from math to Italy, and to make sure we don't waste a second of our time.
Ladies and Gentlemen, when next you hear from me, I will be in Europe, sitting on a hillside somewhere, sharing the same air as Leonardo da Vinci and the Caesars.
Arrivederci!
Barnabas
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