And then there were...________

This is kind of a rough day you can probably say, although it's a joyful day for the Italians at my University. Well, here is kind of a quick lesson in Italian culture. August is like national shutdown month. While (officially) most people take a vacation for 2 weeks in the month, many take off the entire month. So just like in Christmas time, Universities kind of go on shutdown. The funny thing is that according to our laboratory standards, nobody is allowed to make measurements or do experiments when no official staff (the head honchos in the lab like professors, researchers, and technicians). So when these staffers go on vacation, you essentially must take a vacation, too. I was reminded of that today by one of my researchers I work under. I know...tough life eh? I love it though. I think it's where the expression "La Dolce Vita" is really able to thrive.

So why a rough day? Well since it's the last full week of July, this is most people's last day and the phrase "Ci Vediamo a Settembre" which means "we'll see each other in September" has been thrown around a lot. People are going to Valencia, America, to their hometowns in Italy, and even simply to the Seaside to just relax while Rome continues to be a hot bed.

Well the first rough aspect is knowing that people are going on vacation while I'm going to stick it out until August 10th when the last professor will finally start his vacation (which means I can run experiments till then). The main rough aspect is that I leave in September. So today, I am basically saying goodbye to all the people and experiences that I have enjoyed at school. Just being at school regardless of the work that is being done has provided a very enjoyable experience. This includes all the group lunches, going 2 or 3 times a day to the bar to get espresso, learning to hold your breath while keeping all the smokers company, juggling the soccer ball, and just sitting/joking around in the office. With everyone gone, there's no more of that and essentially the University will become a ghost town for a few weeks. BTW...this never happens in American University Research Groups except maybe on Christmas day.