È stato un piacere: Saying "So Long"

In a glorious culinary culmination of our time together, Claudia and I at last cooked the pumpkin pie we’d been discussing since Thanksgiving, when we’d been unable to locate a pumpkin. We topped the pie with walnuts and pistachio (the latter for a bit of Sicilian flair), mascarpone, and fior di latte gelato. This was Claudia’s first taste of this autumnal delight. It was absolutely magnificent and allowed me to finally feel as though Christmas had arrived. Our masterpiece disappeared from the kitchen quite quickly: apparently Italians can also appreciate some American cuisine.

Later that night, Claudia, Fabrizio, Giovanni, and I went to Palermo’s first “Facebook Party.” The purpose of these parties is somewhat beyond me, but nearly every major city in Italy has had one within the past few weeks. It sounds to me like saying, “Well, why don’t we have a party and just invite everyone between the ages of 15 and 30?” but Italians seem to love the concept. They all get together, drink wine, and stand around talking for ages while a DJ blasts music to which few people dance. In Italy, young people don’t dance like they do in the US. Here, talking is the thing to do at parties. Facebook, as I mentioned in an entry a few months ago, is one of the newest crazes to hit Italy and has been fully embraced. I am amazed how long young Italians can discuss who’s posted new photos, added an application, or joined another Facebook cause. It seems to me like getting together with friends to discuss recent emails, spam filters, and the latest stupid forward going around. Nonetheless, I let myself enjoy my last night out with Claudia as roommates.

As I stood next to Claudia at the bus stop this morning, I realized my chest was starting to hurt so I tried readjusting my luggage strap, but when the airport shuttle arrived I understood what I’d been feeling: I could hardly bear saying goodbye. As I watched Claudia and her father turn their backs through the maddeningly tinted windows that prevented any final waving goodbye, I found tears streaming down my cheeks. As I said to Claudia with our final hug, È stato un piacere: It’s been a pleasure.

“So what now? It's plain to see we're over,
And I hate when things are over,
When so much is left undone” –Deep Blue Something, Breakfast at Tiffany’s