Friends & 20 Euro Meals

These past weeks have flown by and now I find myself in my last week of school, but more importantly, my last week in Rome. It is absolutely wild to think that I've already spent six weeks here in the Eternal City. Six weeks that have simultaneously felt like mere days but also like endless years - I suppose this is the nature of these study abroad programs.

Wine Tasting in Tuscany completely paid for by our program!

I wanted to spend my last Saturday in Rome wandering the city by myself. An only child type of day. Needless to say, I got lost too many times & pretty much circled around each major tourist attraction two times. Campo de' Fiori. Piazza Navona. Campo de' Fiori Again. Pantheon. Capitoline Museum. Piazza Navona Again. Capitoline Museum Again. Pantheon Again. Trastevere. Santa Maria in Trastevere. Dinner. Santa Maria in Trastevere Again. Some random street. Some Neighborhood. Really lost. Back to Santa Maria in Trastevere. Other dark street. Extremely Lost. iPhone @ 1% Battery Life dies. Back again to Santa Maria in Trastevere. Recognize a gelato place. Finally home. Struggle to get keys. Almost pee my pants. Where are my keys? Slightly pee my pants. Found the keys. Elevator. Home Sweet Home.

All in all, I had a phenomenal time. I actually really enjoy hanging out by myself. I get to shop where I want to shop. Stop as long as I want to. Bypass things that don't interest me. Try on clothes that I would never want anyone to see me in. & most of all, order as much food as I want with no sense of judgement. That is correct. I ate a 20 euro meal entirely by myself ($21.50 to be exact). I guess depending how cool you are, you'll find me gluttonous (not so cool) or totally impressive (very cool). Yet, during the 3 hours of me wayfinding my own neighborhood (Trastevere), I started thinking....are these solo days really beneficial for me?

And this is what I think: Yes, solo days are good, but a solo life is not so good. I think I need these independent days every once in a while to keep my insanity in check. Days where I don't necessarily need to suck in ALL the time. But a whole lifetime of solo days? Now that's a recipe for disaster. No judgement from friends means 20 Euro meals every meal. It means unabashedly shopping for me when I should be shopping for others. And this is where I found a new appreciation for my friends. While I love just hanging out with my subconscious, sometimes, my friends' judgement is sometimes the only thing keeping me from turning into a complete food blob. Companionship is necessary and healthy. Perhaps the next time a friend gives me an alarming look of disapproval for ordering another dish, I'll swallow my insatiable appetite and remember my own advice.