E Allora?

Well, I guess all good things come to an end, right?  Sono tornata a casa perche' mi sono rotta la caviglia...  :(  (I have returned home because I broke my ankle.)  When I was in Italy, I was getting lots of mixed messages from Doctors, like "Oh, it's a hair-line fracture," "Caspita!  There are 6 hair-line fractures!" "Don-t worry, it's just a distortion!" And, "Here!  Take these injections for 20 days!  They will prevent blood clots."  I felt a bit shuffled around in all the confusion, and in the end, the best option was to return home because I would have had to wear a heavy cast for about 20 days in the field, then do rehabilitation... The list goes on...  So, because I only had a few months left, coming home and getting things treated right seemed more logical than being ineffective in the field.  

Quindi!  I am home and I found out what is really wrong and what I will have to do about healing my ankle:

1- It is a hair-line fracture in the Tibia and I will have to get it re-casted in the next couple days.

2- After getting it re-casted, I will be in the cast for about 4-6 weeks.

3- I do not have to take those weird injections they gave me in Italia! (Yay!) And I found out that I actually didn't have to take them in the first place...

I guess I should tell you the story now, huh?  It all started last P-day when we had finished Internet and had gone to the Castle.  We were on our merry way to begin the tour, we signed the sheet to be placed into the tour group, and everything seemed great.  Or so we thought...  One of the soldiers stationed at the castle lead us to another tour group that had already started, and when we saw them, we followed them down the stairs.  The stairs were very steep and they were the most uneven stairs that I have ever walked down, and as I was walking, I thought to myself, "Wow!  If Sorella Cherrington lived here, she wouldn-t survive these stairs everyday!"  Shortly after that thought buzzed through my head, I tripped in a hole in the stairs, falling onto a hand-rail, hitting my nose, and breaking my ankle...  Lesson learned?  Be careful when you walk in old castles.  And if you would not have been able to survive it in old times, you surely won't make it out without an injury in these days.  

E allora?  Cosa diciamo?  I loved the mission because I got to work with great people and I have made eternal friendships.  I am thankful for each of my friends in Italy and I can't wait to Facebook/Skype them ASAP!  :D  If any of you out there are considering a mission, I would tell you that it had been the craziest, wildest ride of my entire life, and I faced so many difficulties that I cannot fully describe with words where my strength came from to face them.  But I can tell you that, with the strength of the Lord, anything can be done.  So, you potential missionaries, here is my advice: pray and fast about your decision and prepare yourself for the hardest thing of your life.  I would also like to say though that "No good thing comes easy," and you will certainly be blessed on your mission for every hardship that you have to overcome.  The Lord loves His missionaries and the people they serve.  You will surely feel that love on your mission if you do your best to "Bee the Best you can Bee," as President and Sister Waddoups have said.

I suppose this is the end then of my adventures as a full-time missionary in Italia.  However, it is not the end of my being a missionary at heart, nor is is the end of my love of the Italian language, culture and, above all, the people of Italy.  I will never forget my mission and it will always be a huge part of who I have become today and who I will yet become in the future.  In bocca al lupo a tutti e buona missione!  

-Sorella Corey Cherrington