Arrivederci! Vedali presto! (Bye! See you soon!)

I think Ziggy's going to miss me ;) And the truth is, I'm going to miss that little pecker, too! (Okay, not too much... the dog's absolutely crazy. But he sure is good lookin'.)

My flight for London leaves at 10:02PM tomorrow night, and of course, I have all of 10 shirts packed & a pile of journaling supplies stacked on my couch. It's been a long haul getting together everything for the coming months in Italy--from my student Visa, to course approvals, to miscellaneous crap that will probably come in handy more than I know. But the haul has led me here to a river of emotions flowing rapidly with excitement, nerves, curiosity, and that tingling feeling you get when you know you're about to do something that will change your life forever. My goal is to hit the ground running, soaking in every moment of new adventure, culture, and art. I know that I'll miss loved ones while I'm away, especially Brian. But that's to be expected, and I can't & won't let it stop me from taking advantage of every opportunity that calls. I mean, I'm going to be living in the art capital of the world, taking a painting class on the hills of Tuscany, and drinking the best wine & espresso known to humankind. Could my semester hold more amazing things? I can't help but feel giddy inside.

So off to London I go for a 3 day stop over with my program, AIFS, before my 3 week orientation in Siena. Jodi, my best friend, will be in London for her study abroad. We're hoping to meet up in a pub for a world-famous room-temperature beer. Cheers, right?

Send me your mailing address and I'll send you a letter or postcard.

Peace & love,
Rachael

PS-With the hopes of keeping this blog as authentic as possible, I'll be copying portions from my journal & providing context and pictures, posting when it feels right, not out of obligation. Short & sweet could be the theme of this blog...it'll be better for us both, I think :)