“Traveling. Italy. I’m Italian by heritage, so there is something sort of symbolic about returning to the mother country, like the homeland. I feel fortunate that I was able to return to the country where my ancestors lived. There is something symbolic about returning to where your family tree began. Even though I didn’t necessarily go to the part of Italy where I was from, getting a chance to experience a small part of Italy was amazing. There is so much history. Also, it was just so amazing seeing how different cultures live, and how these people have lived and how generation after generation after generation of growing up in these same small towns. Even though we are so different in so many ways, there are striking similarities as well.  It makes you appreciate not only the life that they have grown to love, but also the life that we have here. Finally, something that I have always loved about traveling is the renewed appreciation of home.”