Graduation Day yesterday...she did it!

We had a nice family/neighbor gathering in Giulia's honor last evening...the weather cooperated, and while much of rest of NE experienced thunder storms (some pretty violent), we escaped with just cloudy skies. Today she and Domenico's family (host and Venezuelan) have gone to Boston for a day of sight-seeing. They (Domenico and his parents) leave tomorrow for an east-coast trek (NYC, DC, and inbetween). Dad and I expect a down-in-the-dumps teen for the rest of the week...it's hard to let go of so many good friends so suddenly.
With all the highs of this week activities, today is a 'crash'. It's all over. She must now pack up her belongings and a year's worth of memories for a trip home on the 16th. Among those memories are many 'firsts'...first ride on a yellow school-bus, semi-formal dance, proms, limo rides, school cafeteria lunches, NYC, Boston, etc., etc. Schools in Italy have no extra-curricula activities like we do...sports, music, drama, clubs, proms, or even graduation. On the last day of school, they simply go home...no fanfare.
This is a link to Milford Daily News coverage of NRHS graduation. Projections for upcoming classes range from 200-250 over the next 5 years, forcing changes to graduation venue...gym won't be able to accommodate that number of graduates and families anymore. Woe to our small town :-(
I keep reminding Giulia that she is very fortunate to live in the world of instant communication...with video MSN and Skype, she can stay in constant contact, something our former exchange students weren't able to do. One of her NRHS friends is traveling to Rome this summer for a 2-week visit with Giulia. Another friend and her mother are planning to visit Giulia next summer, and Domenico and his brother are planning to spend next summer in Italy (they have relatives in Italy. Domenico's grandfather immigrated from Italy to Venezuela in the 30's, similar era to Tony's arrival). She has those visits to look forward to.