the end is the beginning is the end,

I graduated, yes I did. Hooray!!!

I'm a winner, I'm a sinner, do you want my autograph?

Yes, this is the face of a fully-fledged interpreter!
It's taken me a while to realise, but I've made it, I've finished university and passed my finals with flying colours, which I really didn't expect.
I had my finals on Monday morning, it was unbelievably tough.
It took me 3 hours to go through the 9 bits I had to complete, and between one bit and the next there was a bunch of minutes of painful, excruciating wait.
But I was tougher than them, I guess. I just switched to war-machine-mode and did what needed to be done.
And I got my masters, and I am so dreadfully relieved.
And life only starts now, and of course, the best is yet to come.

countdown: -4

Here's my "baby". It's taken me ages to write it... but I am so proud :)

10 more days till freedom!

I can't believe I've made it, in the end.
My dissertation lies there to be printed out and shaped up in little books with a bright colour cover and my name printed on them, and to be presented in front of a dull, boring examining board where nobody is going to care about what I am saying. Anyway.
And yeh, it feels exactly as good as everyone had told me before. I cried a bit whilst I was writing the special thanks page, but I am happy. Still a bit nervous, but a bit more relieved.
And I can't wait it's next summer... I want a proper destructive summer abroad, I want to work and learn and laugh and meet new friends and meet old ones again and have fun and drink beer and dance my socks off till the wee small hours of the morning...

(Soundtrack: Start me up - The Rolling Stones)

and one day...

we'll see the light.
Ce l'ho quasi fatta e non mi sembra vero. Manca poco, ormai il grosso è fatto ed è stato anche fatto decentemente. Vorrei solo svegliarmi ed essere già al giorno della discussione, coi pantaloni accorciati giusti e stirati precisi, la camicia senza una piega e il gilet allacciato fino all'ultimo bottone. Con i piedi ormai immuni alle scarpe assassine, pronta per fare l'ultimo passetto e levarmi una tonnellata di peso dalle spalle.
Sono stanca.
L'ansia e l'insonnia cominciano a farsi sentire. E per quanto possa dormire, so che non ci sarà un sonno veramente ristoratore finché tutto non sarà davvero finito e anche l'ultimo punto sarà stato posto dove deve essere.
Non so se sono contenta del lavoro che ho fatto, in fondo sono convinta che avrei potuto fare mille volte di più, mille volte di meglio, se solo avessi procrastinato di meno e "fatto" di più. Però sono contenta di esserci arrivata, io che 4 anni fa non avrei mai creduto di mettere un passo dietro l'altro e fare tutta questa strada, e che adesso sto guardando avanti ottimisticamente e penso che tra un anno e mezzo tutto potrebbe cambiare... in meglio...
Forse sono queste le cose per cui vale la pena farsi il culo, soffrire, sbraitare, sbroccare e dare i numeri, urlare la propria rabbia e la frustrazione accartocciando fogli e dando pugni nel muro. Forse, non lo so. Se non altro, sono le cose per cui per me, here and now, vale la pena esserci. Those little things, those extra shivers that make you feel alive.

Little Queenie of the Booth

{Soundtrack: Limp Bizkit- Hold on}

Second week of introductory courses is now gone. Yay, we're having a long weekend because tomorrow's classes were called off. What is a bit less pleasant is that this is most certainly going to be the last bit of free time we're getting until June, apart from Easter and Christmas of course. This implies I'll have to try and do things like going to the hairdresser's or go and look for the outfit for my graduation (still planned for November) and hopefully find it... unless I want to show up in torn jeans, purple Dr Martens and my beloved Jamiroquai t-shirt. Well, whatever. Happiness is what truly counts, and the feeling I'm learning a bit every day is as rewarding as shopping could never be. (and if I dare to say so, it's because it's true. *lol)
I get back knackered in the evenings and I barely have the energy to get things ready for the next day and give a last, quick look at the papers but it feels so freakin' exciting...
I got thrown in the booth along with the *CSI S. Leonardo mob* -as we love to call ourselves- and we did surprisingly well in our first proper attempt to interpret simultaneously. I was like on cloud nine and couldn't believe my ears whilst doing that thing as mechanically as I never thought I would do for the first time to begin with.
By the way I'm madly in love with the mob, they're just as crazy as I am and I've also elected my personal guru for the time being, i.e. the craziest one among all of us. We're already starting to plan a get-wasted-every-night tour for... we don't know when but what we know is that it's going to be fun ^_^. {Fra, se mai leggerai sta pagina, sappi che sei te la guru [di stamminchia, ça va sans dire]!}

really really ridiculously...happy.

{soundtrack: We are the Pipettes - (Pipettes)}

I'm feeling ridiculously happy and excited about the *brand new shiny era* of my life that is starting right now. I hadn't felt as happy, excited, proud and motivated as this year for a long time, and I'll do everything in my due power to make this feeling last... forever, or at least for as long as I can.
The first introductory class for the Master's Degree courses this afternoon blew me away... the head of department was extremely harsh towards us ('There are fifteen of you... but I can't assure everyone that they're going to reach the final exam at the end of next year.') but I appreciated her honesty and it's boosted my motivation even more, if that's ever possible.
I so feel that this is the right place for me and the right time, I just want to make the most out of it and build up the basis for my future career... and I am immensely grateful for all the additional strength and support I get on a daily basis from my family and my beloved friends. Most of them live a long way away from here, but despite that they never fail to make me feel they're there for me, no matter what happens.
I am SO indescribably happy.