FREAK OUT!

I am so freaking charged and ready to get outta here.
*...leaving on a jet plane...*

but i have found myself waking up in the middle of the night realizing how much more needs to be done for this trip. Ah! it never seems to end. On top of all that I got a sinus infection! I can't believe it. All cold season Sept-Dec I never got sick once. And, of course, God chose this week to pull my leg. Ogeez. Will be seeing the doctor later today.

Slowly but surely it is coming together.
I think the next 72 hours I will try to make somewhat restful, besides all the running around I have to do. Rick Steves calls this "sacred time".

i need shoes for walking around. and some toiletries, but in a small package since I plan on buying everything else when I get there.

I also must read thru some of my Italian books.
One good thing is that I was given some "key phrases" in my program packet on how to get around the FCO Rome Airport. It tells me how to say "I would like a ticket to Siena" in Italian. Vorrei un Biglietto per Siena.

This entire thing has yet to hit me that it is a real 3 month leave. I keep thinking that I am going on a 2 week vacation. At least that's how it feels....

My prediction is that I will get there, the first 2 weeks will be a whirl wind.
The 3rd week I will get homesick a bit.
Then I will begin to get used to it.
And OF COURSE by the time I will master it, I will be thinking, and saying to myself:

"But I just got here! I don't wanna leave."


My boyfriend, Alex, bought me an iPod Nano this Christmas. I finally got to look thru all the things he uploaded onto it last night. He put all the Planet Earth episodes on for me and some movies I like. But the thing that really got to me was all the music! He put all "our songs" on there and I started bawling! Like a shot right to the heart. I am going to miss him. He is a great person that I am so lucky to have in my life.

I was bitching a couple of nights ago about all the stuff I had to do and Alex stopped me and said, "you are doing something that most people never get the chance to do."

His comment definitely brought me back down to earth and made me realize this opportunity my family and hardwork has given me. His simple comment made me realize that whining is very stupid and selfish. I thought about the people who are just concerned with feeding their kids and possibly being able to take them on a weekend trip to Port Austin or something, with what little funds they have. My bitchin was then put to rest. This is why I love Alex. He definitely knows when I deserve a beneficial verbal face slap back into reality.

And my friends!
Luckily, some of my friends will actually be in Europe studying the same time as me. Two are in Rome and one in Brussels. Good timing people.

I saw the deer this morning from my backyard. I wonder if they have deer in Siena?
I know they don't get that much snow! ;)