In exactly two days I leave Siena and my emotions are terribly mixed about it.

On one hand, I am thrilled that in less than 72 hours I will be able to hug my Mom and Dad, laugh and cry with my sisters, and find out exactly how much my little brother has grown since I last saw him. (I have been the tallest child for so long that it is creeping me out that he will probably be taller than me someday!) I love Christmas and I especially love Utah at Christmastime, so I am getting really excited about being home. And beyond Christmas I get to return to Toronto and see all my dear friends who I have seriously missed over the past five months.

And then there is the other hand, which has comfortably adapted to my daily life here and is sad to go. Even though I have been here for months I still experience a feeling of awe every time I walk through the Campo or stroll past the Duomo. I love being surrounded by the sound of Italian voices and conversations all around me, and I am proud of how much my own Italian has improved during my stay. It's not perfect by any means (today one shop keeper complimented me profusely on how well I spoke and good my accent was and then about ten minutes later another shop keeper corrected a grammar mistake I made while speaking) but it is much improved. I will miss saying "Ciao" "Buon giorno" "Buona Sera" and "Arrivederci" upon entering and exiting any kind of store, shop, restaurant, etc. I will miss the friends that I have made here- my sweet roommates, my landlord Riccardo, the whole congregation at Church, and all the lovely people at the archives. For the past two days several of the women at the archives have repeatedly asked me when I am leaving, and this morning I was asked many times if I would be there tomorrow so they could say goodbye. I have told them all that I will certainly be back someday (hopefully sooner rather than later) and it makes me feel good that they tell me they hope I come back soon. I will miss the sunsets in Siena, the calm, laid-back lifestyle, the cashiers at the grocery store who are thrilled when you give them exact change, the narrow, winding streets, and the strong sense of family and community present in Siena.

I cannot wait to be home for Christmas, but part of me will miss Siena until I come back again!