16 gennaio 2009

When I made the decision to keep a blog while studying abroad, my intention was for it to be straight forward and to the point, as the colloquial expression 'parli come mangi' for which this blog is named means 'speak how you eat', which in italia is simply.

So, in that spirit, I'm making this post to express my feelings pre-departure, which at this point consist of anticipation and frustration, as very soon I will be the only person still at home waiting to leave for my semester.

I mostly feel excitement though. I'm excited for nobody to know me, to just be anonymous for once if only for a day. Not to mention it's going to be freaking sweet to move to another country, move into an apartment with people I've never met, take classes in Italian, learn about some of the richest history, art and architecture on the planet and just effing rock out.

I'll leave you with my list of what needs to happen before departure on February 1st, 2009.

-Revamp my entire wardrobe so that I arrive in Italia impossibly chic and Roman looking (the chances of this actually happening are slim to none).
-Earn as much money as possible via babysitting and substitute teaching so I don't run out of money in mid-march and find myself stranded in Toulouse because I underestimated how much it would cost to get myself back to Rome.
-Lose 15 lbs as a preemptive strike against the inordinate amount of carbohydrates I will inevitably be consuming (this is sort of a joke. but sort of not.)
-Figure out how to fit everything I will need for 6 months into luggage that is far too small to carry everything I'd actually like to bring.
-Get my fill of favorite American things that I will either not be able to find or not want to find in Rome. This includes normal yogurt, Whistlestop sandwiches, my cell phone, not having to use adaptors, my parents, haagen dazs french vanilla icecream, and skittles.
-Find my passport. (this will not necessitate a panic attack for at least another week)
-Not set my expectations too high, or set expectations at all for that matter.

As for my hope for the trip: to find the beauty in everything I encounter, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.