Preparing Myself

Well since I have been sort of nervous about my upcoming adventure I have found myself being over prepared, if that's possible.  I have packed and unpacked and repacked multiple times, just to make sure I have everything I need.  I have made tons of lists to organize my mind and been reading and studying Italian with Rosetta Stone.  I got pretty lucky with preparing for this trip because one of my girlfriends, Alyse, went last year during my junior year at Monmouth College, and she has been there for me step by step.  Some things  she has let me know about studying and living there was that shampoo, conditioner, face wash, and other girl things can be quite expensive there.  So I bought those things here and then wont have to worry about finding places to buy them over in Italy.  I was also told that students over in Italy dress a bit nicer than students in America.  So her advice was to layer clothes with plain shirts, cardigans, and jackets. Another friend of mine suggested I get some boat shoes, for the rubber bottoms because the roads in Italy are not the best for heels, flats, or sandals.  I also bought a bigger black canvas bag for my carry-on and it will also come in handy as a book bag and a travel bag on the weekends. 
As for classes, my handbook says students can not miss more than two classes..don't quote me on this, but I think that's a good rule since I am there to learn and grow as an art major.  Plus I am pretty sure we have some day trips and visits around Florence for some of the classes, which is pretty awesome! 

I am almost done with my required reading for my orientation class and will start reading my blue guide book on Italy for Florence, Rome, and  Venice.  The required reading was pretty good, easy read and once you get accepted into the program anything about Italy is going to be interesting to you, and if it isn't..then why would you go.

I am so excited to meet the other students going to study abroad with me, I hope we all get along.  That is something I am nervous about too.  I think of myself as a pretty laid back person but you never know what others will think of you, so all I can do is be myself and hope for a couple, if not all of them, to be really cool and friendly too.

Getting Excited..and Nervous

So I have about 5 weeks left in the states and I am getting so ready to be in Florence, Italy.  I never thought I would actually study abroad, but here I am, learning Italian, reading required books, packing, saving money, and getting nervous.  I will be there for 4 months, and its kind of difficult to pack for that amount of time in a foreign country but its been fun getting ready for this experience.  My parents are getting excited too and decided they would come see me during my fall break in October. They also thought it would be romantic if they bought a ticket for my boyfriend as well, so I am very excited to spend some time in Florence with them all.

I think I am most nervous about learning the language, but I'm sure being in the classes and living with a host family will help me out a lot.