Europe takes advantage of people...

who have to go to the bathroom. I left Klagenfurt Friday night around 11:30 and arrived in Florence at 6:30 am. I slept through the night, and, of course, had to go to the bathroom when I woke up. I stumbled off the train in search of a toilet. After walking through the whole train station, I spotted the familiar sign of a man standing next to a woman in a dark corner. What a relief. I had to go really bad, so I rushed through the door to find what looked like an airport security check-in. There weren't any guards, though, only machines demanding 1 euro in order to pass. I've run in to this situation too many times on this continent to remain quiet. Poor people who are desperate for a toilet are being taken advantage of because they don't want a fine for going to the bathroom on the street. I paid the fee for the toilet, and I made sure to make the most of my payment. Next time, I'm going to brave the dangers and go on the sidewalk. I hate paying for a toilet.

I stayed in Florence for about an hour before boarding a train to Perugia. 2 hours later, I was in what seems the oldest city in the world, giving my friend Mike a hug. Coming from Klagenfurt to Perugia is a big change. The streets here are so small, but cars still manage to drive down them. Buildings are all old and crooked. So many hills. It's wonderful, though. I got here yesterday around 10:30, and Mike took me around the city. We ate pizza, tried to view Assissi through the thick clouds, sat on the steps to a giant Catholic cathedral, and watched the slow Italians stroll through the streets. Last night, we went over to a friend's house. She's from Holland, and she's, interesting. It was a quiet night, but I was pretty tired because I didn't sleep very well on the night train from Klagenfurt. Today has also been fairly quiet. We slept in, cooked some eggs, drank some coffee, then went out to lunch with some of his friends. There was only one man working at the restaurant. He was the host, server, and cook. I can't believe he was doing everything, but he managed it fairly well. I guess it goes with the overall attitude here of never being in a rush to do anything. We've spent most of the afternoon in the apartment listening to music, eating my mom's cookies, and doing puzzles. The weather is chilled and rainy, though I must say much warmer than Klagenfurt and Iowa. It's almost 50 degrees here, but the clouds and rain make it seem much colder.

Before I left Klagenfurt, I felt a little strange. My thoughts weren't about the place I was going to, rather, about the people and place I was leaving. I felt weird leaving. The past three weeks have been spent with the same people everyday, all day. We'd become sort of a family; something I didn't expect the first day in Klagenfurt. I was kind of sad to leave, and it wasn't until this afternoon that I really thought about all of the places I've left. Usually, my thoughts the first day upon arrival are much different than the day I leave. It seems everywhere I go, I have such a negative attitude about my future in the city. At the end, I can't imagine leaving. I've lived in several places over the past couple years, and it is the same everywhere I go. I arrive somewhere new and immediately regret going there. The first days, weeks are difficult. I take some time to meet new people and experience the new things. Once I meet new people, though, I fall in love. It was that way in Boulder, San Francisco, Herrnhut, Klagenfurt, and I imagine anywhere else I happen to go. You don't really realize the power of friendships until you are without them for a couple days. I know I don't. When I'm with all of my best friends, I want to be alone. When I'm all alone, I realize how much I need other people. Community is necessary, more than you think. Everywhere I go, I think I can do it by myself. I fail every time. I need people. I need community. I need them for encouragement, guidance, friendship, and meaning to life. I believe that we are supposed to be in community always. I mean, of course we have to spend some time by ourselves. You can't be surrounded by people always. You need time for your own personal growth, but you always need community too. That's what the whole loving others statement is talking about. Life is about relationships, I think. Too often we forget about that. We try to do everything by ourselves because other people have let us down too much. We think that we are smarter than our friends because of the things we've experienced or the knowledge we've gained. That may be true, but you still can't do it by yourself. Try. You will fail. Life is about relationships, friendships, community. That is love, and, as always, love wins. Try to imagine your life without family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, teachers, students, roommates, Somebody who loves you. Just try to imagine that. How terrible would that be? Maybe you think you can do it alone. Maybe you say that you don't need anybody. Maybe you don't think you need God. If you can do it all yourself, why would you? It's a fair question, and I think we can all find out the answer if we try to do it ourselves. We may make it a couple days, months, or years, but is it worth it? Are you satisfied? Do you feel like you are loving? Do you feel loved? I just don't think it's enough if we are alone. Everywhere I go, I try to do it by myself, and I always learn that I can't. I always hope that you read what I write and think about it in your own life. I hope I say something that makes you question yourself. You can question me. What do I know? Not much. I'm wrong, a lot. Say something to me when you disagree. I think it's just so important to ask youself questions. We can't live life passively, just going with the flow. To not be questioning what you believe and why you believe it would be a waste. Our lives are too important to be spent going with the flow.

These are just my thoughts on a quiet Italian Sunday, and they all started because I thought about the 1 euro I had to pay for a toilet.