Finito

It's been a week since school's ended, but I couldn't stand the thought of writing about it until now. I think I'm ok now. Maybe.
The second years are gone!!!! :'-(
The year ended with a bang - the first years put on our last show for our secondi, which was great, the usual material: funny (battle of the bands: The Spice Girls vs The Backstreet Boys) and beautiful (Marco and Margerita did a ballet dance that was gorgeous. Wow.) and sweet (Alvaro, Vanessa and I sang a medley of songs (with changed lyrics) commemorating our second years' leaving, ending with Friends Will Be Friends, by Queen) and sad: our last song was Aloha Oe:
"Aloha Oe, Aloha Oe
The wind will carry back my sad refrain
One fond embrace
Before goodbye
Until we meet again"
Then the second years all came up on stage and we hugged and cried and cried and hugged...
That night (Tuesday the 23, for reference) there was a huge party in Mickey's (the bar) with everyone dancing one last time. The first half of the dancing was Latin - Tango and Salsa and Samba etc. and the latinos took the floor and danced (showing some of the rest of us how to do it), with spins and twirls and fancy footwork. Then the music changed to normal pop music, and everyone got up and danced, it was soo hot and crowded... but a good way to not think about the next day.
The next day was Closing Ceremony, which was nothing particularly special, a lot of Italian politicians talking about our importance to the community (blah), the choir sang, Vanessa did a speech on behalf of all the first years saying Thank You to our secondi, some music scholars played, and all throughout the ceremony we signed yearbooks. Then we had the best mensa food we've ever had - buffet style nice red rice and vegetables and pasta... and really good dessert, too.
Then it began. The first people left right after closing ceremony and then it was a constant stream for the next 2 days. Every half hour someone was at the bus stop, crying and blindly hugging anyone and everyone who came near to say goodbye. One by one my Secondi ( and the ones that meant the most to me and became my "adopted Secondi") left - Deanna (my real Seconda, who's going to Middlebury, so I'll see her soon) and Isaac (from Spain, a wonderful dancer and singer and such a kind-hearted person) left the first day without me being able to say goodbye, Yusaku (I'll always remember how he dressed up as me for the Nordic show - he did it so perfectly! And his cooking...ahh) and Doba (the computer geek, my Secondo-in-law - he was going out with my co-year, Leah) and Diego (who taught us the "beaver cheer", I can't relate it here, ask me to perform it when I get home, it's so funny...)
The weather was strange that day, it reflected our feelings exactly. All morning it was raining and very windy - sometimes we couldn't even hear the speeches because the tent was flapping so hard - but the grey clouds were the perfect backdrop to our sadness. Then the rain stopped and, just at sunset, a beautiful double rainbow appeared. The image of people saying their last goodbyes under that arch of color was so powerful - sad and beautiful at the same time.

The next day was the worst. My 2 first year roome left early in the morning (5 am for Nevin, and 8:30 for Marta) Then Jesus...Lisette and I went with him to Sistiana for one last coffee before he left and we promised that Lisette and I would return next year to remember him. We talked and laughed and bullshitted (he won the yearbook award for best bullshitter, and he was so proud...) and then he had to go.
Let's skip that part of the story, ok? He's the one I/'ll miss most, his bullshitting, his philosophy (talking about the merits/theory of anarchism, the US's involvement in Latin America, God, etc) his jokes, his absolutely horrid conduct with girls (I think "player" is the correct term - he would go through his picture album and say, "I got with her, her, her, her, not her - sigh - she was too far away but I wanted to, her, her...") which, though it sounds bad, is actually probably quite a good thing - it's one of the only things that kept me from wanting to fight my Seconda for him ;) (he was my Secondo-in-law too) the other thing was my Seconda herself and his devotion to her, - apparently, once he found the right girl he'd stick to her like glue - and how incredibly sweet they were together. And, of course, I'll remember his egocentric (sometimes faked, sometimes real, I don't know) how he loved being vain and singing, "I Feel Pretty" and taking pictures of himself...
Next most missed person is probably Cosy, though she left on Saturday and so I had time to talk to her before she left. Her laugh, her way of telling stories so that even if it's the most mundane occurrence - making omelets for example - it's hilariously funny, her voice - wow! sometimes I wish I were African too... - and all our inside jokes from Project Week. I think that week was one of the best in the year, and much of it was because of her. Memories of singing "Under the Sea" in Italian, of walking up the hill to our host family's house and talking about UWC/the world, of teasing Alvaro about his accent (whenever he asked for the ramp for Dana's wheelchair he'd roll the R and we'd all laugh - "la rrrrrampa!") of getting lost, and she was always there, smiling...
Thursday afternoon 2 more of my secondi left, Terence (the real Secondo) and Leon (the first adopted Secondo) I'll miss Leon's ever ready advice and listening ear, the conversations we had at the beginning of the year when we literally recounted our entire life stories to each other over cornflakes, how he was always available for a hug when I was feeling down...
Friday was a bit better. Lelde (our choir director) left in the morning, but after that everyone stayed, so we just lounged. All my latinos stayed (except Jesus) and the Russians, and we had a great time going through the clothes that people left behind and dressing up.
And that night we sang and played Latin songs together for the last time... and watched a movie and talked.
Slowly they all trickled away, and as my last Secondo left (Rene, on Monday), a crowd of Italians came for the first year selections, so I went smoothly into being a Seconda myself, showing them around Duino and telling them about the college.
And so here I am, a quasi-Seconda, lying in the sun and looking forward to going to India in a week!!!!!