Requiem for a Dream

We were treated to a concert at Parco della Musica last night.  It was Mozart's Requiem in D Minor.  The night was one of the best I've had here.  To go to a concert at Renzo Piano's masterpiece of an auditorium was unreal.  But as I sat listening to the smooth and harmonious sound of the violins and cellos I could only think that this requiem was for my time here in Rome.  A requiem for a dream.  I have less than a week left here.  It's a fact that has excited and depressed me.  And as the choir burst in melodious discord, I couldn't help but think of it.  Of the little time I have left.  The things I'll do when I get home.  Leaving.  Seeing everyone.  The gigantic change that awaits me.  How much I'll miss this all.

I looked up what the word "requiem" means.  It refers to a "Requiem Mass" or a Mass for the dead, celebrated for the repose of a deceased soul.  I decided that it's fitting to call the Requiem one for my experience.  I think back to all of my memories here and I can't believe I did and saw so much.  I wondered earlier in the semester about my decision to come here.  I was searching for the reason.  Looking back, I can't believe I ever doubted myself.  I couldn't determine the reason because it isn't just one reason.  It's a million reasons.  It's the fact that I can see the Tiber from my apartment window.  It's catching a glimpse of the domes from Villa Borghese.  It's eating the best ice cream in the world.  It's people watching on Via del Corso.  It's walking to the Basilica of Saint Paul.  It's looking at Saint Peter's every day on the way to studio.  It's feeling the feeling of kinship that only Romans have.  It's sitting in a seat on the main floor looking at an undulating wooden ceiling listening to beautiful music.

The dream is over.  Time to wake up.