Week 9.5.

Dear All,

I am continually amazed by my generally great luck. Here is a story for you:

Yesterday's plan was to wake up early so that I could retrieve my new passport and head to the Bargello with one of my roommates. After two months in Italy, I should have recalled that things rarely go according to plan--but this time, it was for the best.

I woke up at 10:44 am and got dressed in a rush, skipping my breakfast and a much-needed shower. (The consulate closes at 12:30, and it's about five bridges down the river from where I live--a decent hike, especially in this heat.) I made it there in less than an hour, and presented the almost alarmingly casual secretary with my receipt. About five minutes later, she returnd with another lady...who was holding a rather battered black Moleskine journal. They told me that just that morning, the police had brought it by.

Everything inside was intact: my letters, my writings, my stamps, my train pass, and, yes, even my passport! I still had to pay for and use the new passport, since the last one had already been entered in their database as lost or stolen, but that seemed insignificant next to having everything else back. They did not tell me where it had been found, and, in my state of shock, I did not think to ask, and maybe it's better that I do not know.

I hope everyone in St. Louis is safe! Much love!

Amazed,
Grace