This is real life!

I leave for Italy tomorrow night. Regardless of the fact that my entire life is packed into two suitcases and a backpack, I still can't believe that I'm going! The nerves have not set in yet, AT ALL. I've never been nervous for a trip before, and I've never gotten homesick, but for some reason I thought traveling across the ocean would be different. I'm curious to see if I have any of these feelings once I'm at the airport.

I am about to experience what will probably be four of the greatest months of my life, so I want to remember every detail. I am going to write in my journal every day, and try my best to post some abridged versions of my entries on this blog (along with pictures, of course!) If any of you reading this notice me slacking, feel free to comment on here and yell at me.

Here are some great ways to keep in contact with me:

Send me mail
c/o Istituto Lorenzo de' Medici
Via Del Melarancio 6/r
50123 Firenze, Italia

Skype me


Follow me on twitter
@taragaspar

Call me (only if you like silly international calling rates?)
+39 3771685796


Knowing that not many people get to experience a semester abroad, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity. No part of my trip would be possible without my friends and family. My mom has every minor detail of my life highlighted and filed and copied and listed, and my dad has equipped me with every odd survival tool he could find (pocket knife?, toe warmers, flashlight, pen that turns into a flashlight, bug spray, and my personal favorite, the "rape whistle"). I think he thinks I'm going camping. I'm excited for the day that some catastrophe happens and I am there to save the day with my pocket-knife-multi-tool-mabob. I also would be ten times less prepared for life in Firenze without the support and advice of my wonderful aunts, Kathy & Fran (Katarina & Francesca?) who are true Italy experts. I can't wait for them to watch my Italy video this Thanksgiving!

Next time I write, it will be from another country, another continent, several time zones away, in a city that I can't wait to explore. Wish me luck on my twelve-hour journey.

Arrivederci, America!

Packing and lists and more packing and more lists...

T-minus ONE WEEK until my departure. Well, one week and one day. The packing process has officially begun, and I am starting to doubt my ambitious choice of suitcase dimensions. When I decided what to bring, I kept saying to myself "I'll bring my big red suitcase!" My mom got me the matching "little red suitcase" for Christmas. It wasn't until I pulled my "big red suitcase" out of my closet that I realized it is merely a "medium red suitcase." Significantly smaller than I remembered. Also significantly smaller than the suitcases I've seen in facebook pictures of my fellow study abroaders who are already in Europe. Whoops. This may mean I will be lugging my Vera Bradley duffel bag around as a carry on in addition to the medium and little red suitcases. However, last night in an attempt to practice pack, my mom and I may have discovered the ultimate solution: giant ziploc bags. I bought this fuzzy green blanket at Home Goods last week since LdM informed me that our apartments could be "anywhere from 40 to 750 years old." And by that they mean COLD. I am a naturally cold person who likes to keep my apartment set at 75 degrees, and it is safe to say that will not be an option in Italy. I am also not expecting my bed to be equipped with a down comforter. Therefore, the big fuzzy green blanket was necessary. After we bought it, we realized it was about half the size of my "big (medium) red suitcase." Uh oh. So we took a giant ziplock bag, stuffed the blanket in to the best of our abilities, and then I sat on it as my mom zipped it closed. The blanket looks like it has been run over several times by an 18-wheeler. Success. It fits snugly in the bottom of my "big (medium) red suitcase," and is as thin as a pizza pie. I'm sure there will be many more packing obstacles to come (SO MANY SHOES), but I will not bore you with the details.

I am trying to get my life organized before I depart, and the obvious way to accomplish this is to make an unnecessary amount of lists (and additions to my color-coded iCal). My first list? Places I want to visit in Europe. This is a ridiculously unrealistic list since I don't think there are enough weekends in my 4 months for me to see all of these places, and I obviously want to stick around and enjoy the beauty of Firenze for a few weekends too. But here it is. If any experienced travelers are reading this, please offer me some advice on what I MUST see, and what I can pass on for the time being. In no particular order:

• Within Italy (Rome, Venice, Cinque Terre, Amalfi Coast, Siena, Milan, and several other quaint towns with cute little Italian men who will feed me wine & cheese)
• Paris & The French Riviera, France 
• Prague, Czech Republic
• Bratislava, Slovakia (Where I will find a bar to have a shot of scotch for Grandpa, and find out if we are related to President Ivan Gasparovic!)
• Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Queen's Day Clemmy reunion!)
• Munich & Berlin, Germany
• Dalmatian Coast, Croatia
• Greece
• DUBLIN, IRELAND (Where I shall meet my future husband with a sexy Irish accent)
• Salzburg & Vienna, Austria (To appease my Sound of Music obsession) 
• Barcelona, Grenada (JENN & LAUREN) & Sevilla (GABE), Spain
• Brussels, Belgium (TRICIA & DANIELLE)
• London, England 

Still so many lists to be written and edited, including "Clothes to pack" "Stuff to pack" "Stuff to buy" "Paperwork to bring" "Gifts to get people" and "Addresses to send post cards to." This is a daunting task, but there is nothing more satisfying than checking things off of a list, so I'm looking forward to it.

Wish me luck as I vacuum seal my entire life into giant ziploc bags with my butt.

Ciao!