Time.....now there is an interesting concept. Time wasted. Time enjoyed. Time invested. So much depends upon your perspective. We started off our day very early. OUR day, actually was your yesterday. OURS just ended and it is 10:25 1/5 Italy time. (4:25 PM US time on 1/5)
What a great team of students we have though. They were early to arrive at the airport...eager and excited. We made it though ticketing with only one glitch. Time invested ....in helping a student see that things can and will work out, because God is in control of this journey. What a trooper, our gal had patience and grace and trust. I see great travel potential in her future. What could have been a huge obstacle, did not throw her. God provided assurance all along the way! We agree that she will definitely have the most interesting DAY 1 journal entries.
Accolades to TSA. For all that we hear in the news stories, we had only a few minor screenings and found, of all things, lotion on a chaperone s hands. (Italian keyboard...missing apostrophe) The flights were pleasant and uneventful, though long. I enjoyed the flight map and got to pray for our London students when we flew over London, remembering that trip fondly and enjoying it when I hear that the students had a great experience. Time invested well. As we flew over Europe I prayed for J'term 2012, wondering what our destination might be. What a wonderful gift to have parents that allow their students to travel like this. How blessed we are that TMA considers it a worthy investment of our educational time.
Time wasted? You could call watching the luggage carousel circle round and round just that. We did come up four bags short, but are hoping for their arrival at our hotel tomorrow. We were SO positive that they were coming on the next flight and kept watching and waiting. Again, though disappointed, the students took it in good stride and looked for the positive....perhaps the airline will purchase a new wardrobe for them...??? Tomorrow may tell! The Rome airport was certainly an adventure in time management.
By the time we hit the charter bus, students wanted to nap. I particularly enjoyed the tents over the seats, so they could snooze in darkness. It was nice to have almost two seats each on the charter to Florence. Power naps came in handy! Night fell at around 5 PM...that was hard for us to imagine. The light rain brought in some colder weather and we heard that it might snow in Florence by morning.
Finally....Hotel Orto de Medici in Florence. It is right down the street from the Accademia and Michelangelos "David." The history of the hotel is so interesting. The short version is that it was once a Medici residence and Lorenzo Medici (Il Magnifico or Lorenzo the Magnificent) lived here. He felt that painters were a dime a dozen but sculptors were rare, so he collected precious sculptures and invited young talented students to live in the residence and study sculpture. He invested his time in the cultural training of young people. Yes, the young lad Michelangelo showed great talent while studying here.....what a neat thing to be able to stay here. Orto de Medici means Gardens of Medici.
We had a wonderful Italian dinner...pizza or pasta? Well, we chose pizza and calzones made the old fashioned hand thrown way. By the time everyone walked back to the hotel they were ready to hit the showers and the beds. Time....we had more than a 24 hour day today, but it was filled with memories. We met our new friends from Cornerstone and our tour guide, Jimmy will bring us some interesting perspectives. Once rested up, we will head out to see "David" tomorrow...and the Duomo....an incredible building project that kicked off the Renaissance. Ponte Vecchio over the River Arno is another site we plan to explore. Tomorrow is the last day of Epiphany, which is celebrated in Italy. (The 12th Day of Christmas)..it will be fun to experience an Italian holiday.
Time to talk to your children....well, technology is not what it is at home, so do not expect an accurate time table for communication. We have seen some texting work, but not consistently. Remember that we are not in the US and we are fairly well spoiled in our culture. For us, everything is instantaneous. For Italians....ah relax a bit.... As we attempt to step back into history, do not be overly concerned if students do not call constantly. We want them to take a break from technology and enjoy the lifetime of investment of so many great artisans. So much of their life today is built on the foundation of these creative individuals. Technology robs us of quality time so often and when they are texting or calling when they could be observing and experiencing....the are the losers.
Time spent with young people who are eager to travel and eager to learn is always time well spent. God tells us that for everything there is a season. I, for one, am so blessed that this special type of travel is part of His plan in my life.
