ITALIA ITALIA ITALIA

Boun Giorno,
IM HERE!!!!!!!!!!!
It is unbelievably beautiful. Like I can't explain it, but the pictures and the postcards are real. They are right in front of me and its like they have just come to life. It's so crazy and I'm loving it SOOO much.
I haven't met my host family yet and I'm so beyond nervous. Like who am I going to live with? How is everything going to go? I hope it's going to be good and I'll be living with someone I like.
The people that are here on the trip are 90% awesome. Some people are giving me bad vibes and there is one girl here that just explained why. She's a tridelt and I thought instantly, so that's why you give off the I'm-better-and-prettier vibe. Gotcha. Anyway. I'm so glad my dad got a cell phone and some euros for me before I left. Everyone is scrambling around trying to get those things figured out and I'm just sitting there like, oh, mine's kinda done.
So yesterday we took this AMAZING walking tour with a cutie named Tom. He has a gf who is italian and came with us and they were adorable together. Anyway not the point. The point is it was supposed to be about an hour long but since there was only about 15 of us and we were enjoying ourselves we took about 2 hours. It was so gorgeous, we got gelato, and we just wandered. Parts of Florence remind me of Paris and I'm thinking it's just the European way of things that is doing that.
We finaly saw the Duomo that everyone is talking about and OMG I can see why they can't really describe it. Its just HUGGGGE! and so breathtaking. But it's crazy because the front of the building was just done about 140 years ago (just ha). The rest of the building however, is about 700 years old or from the 1200's I can't remember which. Can you imagine making something now and having it be something people are still using, talking about, loving 700+ years down the line? That's just amazing.
Right now I'm in our little computer cluster and it feels so good to be back on the internet. So many of us were just going nuts over not having the technology we do back home. Like no txting are you kidding me? But anyway. (I say that a lot) there is a Skype room so you best all be getting Skype and we'll chat. I miss everyone but I'm having so much fun and meeting a bunch of new people and it's just begun.
I'm pretty pumped for everything that is coming my way. We already have some trips in mind, like going to Siena for the horse race around the Piazza, I'm going to Venice with my class and others. I'll keep you all udated as much as I can. I'm getting wireless access around the school buildings and have class TTh 8:30 (shoot me) -12:30 then 1-3. So hopefully I'll be able to update this a bunch.
Arrivederci. I LOVE YOU ALL!!

The Day Has Come

So it's finally travel day. I'll be on my first plane in less than 5 hours. I have everything packed and thanks to packwhiz.com i don't feel like I'm forgetting something, however it's me and I will forget something. Its just bound to happen.

But i started my packing with about 30 outfits laid out for a 42 day trip. I have it now down to 16 outfits. Mainly because I got so many cute new shirts for this trip it was hard to leave them here. But I know i'll be ok with my adorable wardrobe. My only concern is apparently Italians don't wear flip-flops around and I packed at least 5 pair. (Hello $1 flip flop sale at Old Navy!). 

Anyway, I'm really bored. Its 4:30 and I dont want to go to sleep because then waking up would be TORTURE! plus how much sleep would I actually get?

I'm getting really excited and really anxious. I just want to know whats going on, who i'm living with, who my roommate is. So many questions. Hopefully, they'll all be answered very soon. 

oh also. My professor sent out an email today saying to get very specific paper for the photo class and I read it at like 5pm tonight. All I could think was seriously? You know we're leavingTOMORROW right? I don't have time now to go get that paper. Ugh... whatever. I'll get it there I guess. 

I got my family gifts. I hope they like them. One is a bar of soap. Its handmade and looks like red grapes. I thought of red wine and thought it would work. I was originally looking for something with an Arch on it, so I could show them my landmark but they didn't have anything at the place I went. I also got them Cardinals baseball cards. I thought it was cute because of how big football is over there and so the (kindof) counterpart for me is baseball and especially the Cardinals. I just hope they get it and they like them. I know nothing about them so it's not like I can pick the most perfect thing ever. 

Also, I think... I'm leaving RufRuf home. It would be her first time staying home while I'm traveling but I worry about her. I would never want to lose her and, while no one will steal her, what happens if I forget her? Or my bags get lost for good? She's too valuable to me to lose. So I think for her safety, I'm leaving her home. It's going to be a sad day. But after 18 years you've got to let go a little right?

That's all i've got for now. Talk to ya in ITALY!!!!!

This has nothing to do with traveling... for the most part

I'm going to talk today about birds. Birds being in my freaking house. 

So when I was at camp summer after junior year, I turned on the shower and a moth flew at my face. Thats why I don't like moths and butterflies. And now I'm not starting to like birds that much. So the first bird I found was in my basement and when I came downstairs freaking FLEW AT ME! like came and attacked me. I shrieked and had my dad get it out of the house. Of course it had to fly around some more, come at me some more and then fly out the door. Now this new one was here the other day. I went into my laundry room heard some rustling around which I thought was strange. When I turned on the light the fucking bird flew at my head. I flipped out and ran out of the room, my dad went in again and got the bird to go out the door. NOW there is something tweeting in my freaking bathtub. I'm too scared to look and startle it having it fly at my face. Why are there birds in my house?!?!?!?

ughh.

oh and I don't have anything actually packed. I have stuff laid out but nothing in the suitcase. YAY procrastination!  

5 days left and I'm... Blogging

So it's my first post.. YAY! anyway. I was just in the car rockin out to some song and then the weirdest thing happened. The song stopped and I got this ping of loneliness all the sudden. It just keeps hitting me everyday now that I'm not with my lovers at Cuse. The majority of which I wont get to see till next YEAR :( either. I miss you all and I don't know how I'll handle it. Lets count here.... may, june, july, august, september, october, november, december thats... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8... EIGHT MONTHS without Cuse and wayyyy to many Cuse lovers. 

--- on a happier side note, I'm currently watching Two A Days, whatever happened to this show? its so fabulous. this girl is going hunting in PEARLS?!?!---

ok so.. This is my blog for those 8 months where I'll be traveling alllllll around Europe makin it my bitch lol but really EVERYWHERE. And this is so everyone can know what I'm up to and get updates on me when its hard to get in touch. But everyone better get themselves Skype and a webcam. That way we can leave each other videos on facebook and video chat and funnnn stuff!!

in 5 days I head to the first part of my journey, Florence Italy. and can we just talk for a second.. about the fact that I have no FUCKING clue what I'm getting myself into. Like here is what I know.. 1. I'm living with an Italian family, probably with someone else too 2. I'm taking one course thats a photography course 3. I'll be in Florence or Firenze 4. It will probably be balls hot 5. I'm hopefully going to be able travel. FIVE things. thats NOTHING!!! AHHH. and I'm kind of a planner type. I dont need everything planned out in front of me but I like to have a better idea about what I'm getting myself into. ughhh.

Thats my life at the moment. I miss everyone at Cuse. I'll let you know how everything goes with Florence. I know it will be fabulous but I just don't know exactly how yet.