Giornale 3

   I was the first person to step into the cold water of the lake. The goosebumps that covered my body were probably visible to everyone passing by but I kept slowly creeping further into the water. Most of the locals were wearing large coats, pants, and socks but I plunged into the crisp water with no hesitation. I had never been inside a volcanic crater lake before in my life. The black sand was soft with silt floating in the water which looked like flakes of crystal. Since I was the first person in the water, I was able to focus on the beauty of the lake without being distracted by my peers. The sun stopped hiding behind the clouds so that the tops of the mountains that surrounded the lake glistened. The clear water shimmered in the sunlight. I didn't’ stay in the water for a long time but I remember thinking to myself how lucky I am to be at the lake. I felt at peace with myself and the earth.

   A few hours before, I had felt the exact opposite feeling because of public transportation.I was sprinting through Termini with the hope of catching the train to the lake. As I ran through the crowded train station, I clutched my backpack in front of me and kept running even though my lungs were begging me to stop. Frances had said that the train to Lake Albano was leaving in 10 minutes but we still needed to buy our tickets once we arrived at the station. Sadly, after waiting in a ticket line, we missed the first train but caught the second one needed towards the lake. On the train, Hannah, Peter, Frances and I ate our McDonalds as we passed rustic Italian towns and farms.

   I awoke to Frances nudging me to warn me that we had arrived. I could feel the excitement in her voice. She had never been to this lake before but she seemed hopeful that we would find a space to swim. The town on the right was beautiful, on top of the hill, we could see the rooftops of restaurants and shops almost hidden behind overgrown trees and bushes. Frances also pointed out that we could see the roof of the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo.

To find the lake, we followed a group of obnoxious Italian teenagers blastic music down the hill. However, we took out time, admiring the walk down that was very steep and overgrown with plants. When we arrived at the lake, it was more beautiful than I had originally anticipated because of the clear water, dark sands, and lushes vegetation.

When I signed up for this seminar, I wasn’t aware of how living in a city for two weeks would be difficult for me. I grew up spending many of my weekends and holidays with my family in New York City but I never realized until this trip how important is it for me to have nature. Looking out at the lake by myself, it was refreshing to see trees and mountains without being blocked by buildings and monuments. I contemplated what was important to me as I looked out onto the still water before being splashed by Frances.