It’s Saturday afternoon. I will fly out of the Pittsburgh Airport in less than 72 hours. I can’t believe my trip back to Calabria is coming up so quickly! Everyone keeps asking if I’m ready. It’s so hard to explain how I feel. But the short answer is “Yes, I am ready”.

My first trip to Calabria, Italy was in the fall of 2017. It was less than a month after my Dad had passed away. And I was going to visit the place where my Dad’s Grandparents emigrated from. There was a bittersweet feeling because I would never get to tell my Dad about my trip or how it felt to be there.

When I arrived in Calabria, in took less than 24 hours to know that Calabria was in my blood. To know that part of me had come from this place and it felt so much like home. Our group traveled around the region known as Calabria. For those who don’t know, Calabria is the region of Italy located in the toe of the boot. It is the far Southwestern part of Italy. In all of my travels, never have I felt compelled to return. I’ve always been a “been there, done that” kind of traveler. But I didn’t want to leave Calabria. And from the moment I arrived back home, I wanted to return to Calabria.

Fast forward to May 2019. I’m going back to Calabria. And this time I’m going alone. Well, sort of. I have been accepted into a Writing Workshop that is being offered through the Italian Diaspora Studies Program, which is part of the University of Calabria. I was invited to apply to this workshop, was accepted as one of 20 worldwide participants, and was given a partial scholarship to help defray expenses.

Thanks to Margherita Ganeri, Director of the Italian Diaspora Studies Program, for inviting me to apply. And to Robert Drum who is not only my boyfriend, but my best friend and insisted that I had to go even though I was concerned about money, because this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. And to Sam Patti and the Pittsburgh Foundation for Italian Diaspora Studies for giving me a partial scholarship to attend. And to all of my friends who have been encouraging me and cheering me on as I prepare.

I don’t know what the next three weeks hold for me. I’m am going with an open mind and an open heart. I want to hear all that will be shared with me. I hope to find inspiration for my writing. I plan to document and photograph this experience and work it into future writings. Perhaps there is another book in my future writings. Certainly, there will be more material for my blog.
I hope to find time to post to my blog while I am there. If you are interested in following my travels, be sure to subscribe to my page. There will be an email sent out every Thursday to all subscribers with any updates I have posted in the last seven days.

Just think, the next time I post, I will be doing it from Italy!

Until then, Ciao!