I have been to Capri many many times - but only in the summer. When I went in November it was completely different. Without the hoards of tourists and the blazing summer heat, Capri had been completely transformed from a space where someone just passes through to say the've been there into a place where I could see the authentic flair of the city. It had more of a small town a feel, a feeling of neighborhood togetherness - a hometown feeling more or less everyone knowing each other, Sunday routine of having pasta with your nonna or knowing the secret hidden from the tourists of the best place for the most amazing limoncello in the world. It became evident this time around that Capri isn't just a tourist trap, but rather a place where someone calls a home.
Without the harbor being crowded by yachts (*sigh*) by driving up to the highest point of elevation on the island, this was the first time that I saw Capri for the beautiful reserve of Italian nature that it is. There's something about how the autumn sun hit the crystal clear (but darker than the summertime) blue of the water that made me think about this Island before the days of tourists and fancy summertime homes. I can't even imagine what kind of world the Roman's were living in when they first came to this place or the stories of love and of conquest and work and dedication that have taken place in these waters and in this rocky landscape. I like the idea of nature holding secrets and stories - it really affirm's it's place as something greater than human kind. While we are only here for a certain amount of time, nature has been here before us and will continue to be here long after we are gone.
My Sustainable Development in Northern Europe class this semester has got me thinking a lot about what kind of impact I and my fellow humans are leaving on this planet. I'm not just limiting the impact to an ecological one (which, do your research, we alone have the power to prolong the life of this planet through conservation and compromise), but also what our legacy we leave behind for ur future generations. I'm a firm believer in that this moment is the only one that we are promised to keep, but sometimes I catch myself thinking about my future and what comes after I leave. I know that this will be many years down the line; however, having this thought in the back of my mind makes me want to live my life in the biggest, most daring, adventurous way possible so that I will be remembered not only for my bravery but also my kindness and for what I have done to make this world a better place.
College has left me thinking more than ever, yet at the same time more confused than ever and more unsure than ever about how one day all of these ideas will play out. For now I will do what I have always done and just live my own life for what I have right now.
So here I leave you with something to think about -
"They say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time.” - Banksy
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