Elba

Elba was a new pace that we weren’t used to. First of all, we had nothing planned, except for relaxing on beaches. This plan was perfectly fine with all of us and we wanted to get as much beach time as we possibly could. Unfortunately, cultural differences came into play while in Elba. We were being led around the island by Max, an Italian man. Italians never seem to be in a hurry. Our group had one plan in mind and he had another. Many people became a little frustrated, but I think we needed to step back and realize it was most likely a cultural difference. We are used to go, go, go and he is not like that. Another difficulty, that we weren’t used to on other weekend trips, was the transportation. Public transportation is easy because whoever wants to go somewhere can hop on the bus or train and go. In Elba, our group had three vans and three drivers, which meant the entire group had to always be together. Eventually, the little things start to bother people and people will naturally need their space. One thing I have really learned on this trip is to let the little things go. I’ve always been pretty good with this, but this trip, specifically Elba, made me an expert.

Elba was the end of the third week. By this point, we were all pretty comfortable with each other, which was good and bad at the same time. When we didn’t really know each other we had nothing to get upset with each other about. Once we became closer, and have been with each other for four straight weeks, people’s buttons were starting to get pushed, and everyone handles situations differently. The bad part about getting closer is people are no longer afraid to lash out and express all of their feelings. As wonderful as our group was, 20 girls together for four straight weeks had the potential for many catty fights, Elba may have been the low point for our group. At least we all recognized this and learned from it to make our final week in Rome the best one yet.  

With all that aside, the weekend in Elba was extremely relaxing and enjoyable. Some memories I will never forget include laying on the beach with all of the girls, rock climbing with Mary Katherine, Katie, Alissa, and Dana, and eating delicious meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

first view of Elba

our rock climb!

the hotel