About two months ago, the Director of the Office of International Education approached me about blogging for Capital's new webpage when I study abroad next semester. Today, I got my link, and I am excited to begin keeping my online journal.
I have been overwhelmed from the typical "end of semester" stresses, but I find myself not counting down to Finals Week, to Winter Break, or to Christmas. I am actually counting down to my flight to Italy. For the record, I have 29 days including today until I am on a plane over the Atlantic. I am not a big fan of airplanes, but for a chance to go to Italy, I will happily climb aboard.
Even with all of the excitement, I am a little nervous. What I am worried about the most is learning the language and trying to fit in. Americans have a bad reputation abroad for being impolite and loud, and I do not want to perpetuate that stereotype. I will be travelling to a smaller town, that I imagine is about the size of Lancaster, Ohio. Lancaster is close to my hometown, and envisioning Viterbo as a Mideavil version of Lancaster puts my mind (at least a little bit) at ease.
Another strange worry I have is about what to pack. We have a list, and the program says to pack light, but I am a shoe-aholic. "Pack light" means 5-7 pairs of shoes to me, and I could find an outfit for each of them. According to my mother, I am limited to 3 pairs packed, one pair on my feet. With four pairs of shoes for 4 months abroad, I will be tempted to purchase some fine Italian leather footwear... maybe mom should do me a favor and forget about limiting my shoes so I don't come home with 10 new pairs!
More updates to come!
~Doreen~