Blue Umbrella Official Blue Umbrella Winter 2018 Issue | Page 9

' cause
w hy not ?
By: Emily S.
English teacher, Kristen Hogrefe and Alpha
Omega Publications staff member, Maria
Constantine, went on a sponataneous trip to
Italy this past fall.
Mrs. Constantine stated, " We wanted
to go so Ms. Hogrefe could do her research,
but in the end, I think what made us decide to
do it was the question, 'Why not?'"
They met for the first time in the Boston
airport, before flying to London. Both Ms.
Hogrefe and Mrs. Constantine said that
meeting each other in Boston was like
meeting an old friend, yet a stranger at the
same time.
In Italy, Ms. Hogrefe and Mrs.
Constantine visited Orvieto, Rome, and
Civitavecchia that is on the mainland of Italy.
From there, they took a ferry to Sicily where
they were in Parlermo, Valguarnera, and
Agrigento.
While on the trip, Mrs. Constantine had
gifted Ms. Hogrefe a beautiful journal so that
she could record all her thoughts and feelings
about their trip. Ms. Hogrefe said that she had
"rediscovered the joy of journaling."
Mrs. Constantine was excited that she
was able to visit the convent where her aunt
had served all her life. She said that the nuns
loved them as family, and that the last night
was full of hugs, kisses, and energetic
goodbyes.
Ms. Hogrefe is an author, and wanted
to go to Italy to see for herself where her
heroine would go in the story. Mrs.
Constantine is Italian and was able to help
Ms. Hogrefe''s dream become a reality.
Ms. Hogrefe's research was
successful, and the final book in her Rogues
trilogy, The Reactionary, releases February
19, 2019.
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