When in Rome... No wait. When in SIENA!

Italia! Buongiorno! It's been great to me thus far. Our apartment on the other hand has not. None of our phones an seem to connect securely to the wifi which is unfortunate. However, my laptop magically does connect! So here I am, blogging away during a break today. 

So to update, I flew into Rome and then took a bus to Sienna. The bus ride was about 4 hours and for half that time I rested my eyes (in Italy that means passed out) and the second half, I got to look at the beautiful country side around me. Wanna know some great news? I haven't felt jet-lagged! #blessed

My group of eight is awesome. All girls and one guy. We have already done SO much walking. We walk to get dinner, to hop on the train, to ride the bus, to shop, and eat gelato. But boy oh boy do I love all the walking. Really! It feels invigorating. We even walked a pilgrimage trail to a castle! See epic pic below (we were all extremely tired and hot from walking in the tuscan sun so please keep that in mind).

I have not felt any culture shock yet either. It feels different being in a different country with surroundings abnormal to me, but much of it seems like a dream. There should be a psych term where your brain thinks you're only going somewhere for a short amount of time even though you will be there a long time, you know? Anyone know that term? Please let me know when you figure it out. 

I want to take pictures of every little thing. The vibrant pots of flowers in every window pane. The lines upon lines of mopeds. The forgotten, secluded alley ways. The well dressed people. The mouth watering meats, cheeses, and breads. The rows upon rows of vineyards. 

But for now, I will be selfish and keep the most vivid photos in my mind and heart. Arrivederci!

Getting Ready to Leave!

Hello my fellow blog followers! First and foremost, I have never kept a blog a day in my life.... so please be patient with me if the layout isn't quite right or there are other problems. 

With that out of the way, I'M GOING TO ITALYYYYY! My study abroad program is only during the month of June. I will also be extending my stay by a week to visit Venice, Switzerland, and France with a colleague. Now, I have never traveled to Europe, never been on a flight for 13 hours, and definitely never studied abroad. I have done a lot of research about the country and people, and yet I still feel unprepared. Excited! But unprepared. 

I will doing this NAU in Italy program with a group of 10 people and a faculty member. Italy will be our classroom. We will be traveling to wineries, art galleries, restaurants, and many other places. I hope to post a few times each week and update any family or friends about my adventures! 

Some (no, many) have asked me if I have been feeling apprehensive or nervous about my travels. I'll let you all in on a little secret: I feel great!!! The only thing I am nervous about is getting from point A (my layover in the US) to point B (the Rome airport) to point C (the bus station at the airport) to point D (Sienna). Did I mention that I know ZERO Italian? Ha! It will be such a fun adventure!! I hope you all enjoy following my posts!