The Near-End

I must say, I am a terribly blogger. For those of you who read, I'm sorry.

I guess I can just start by giving you a timeline update:

Since my arrival to Siena, I have progressed increasingly in Italian language, Italian culture, and Italian cuisine. I have traveled to Florence, Bologna, Naples, Sorrento, the island of Capri, Pompeii, Palermo, Rome, Modena, Ferrara, Milan, Bergamo, Prague, Budapest, and Vienna.

I have lived the homeless life and slept in train stations, STD infested hostels, and dirty marbled floors. I have gotten myself tangled up in Fascist demonstrations and embraced dirty looks from narrow minded civilians. I have met wonderful characters, seen beautiful sights, and rapped to T.I... in public. I have felt sad and lonely while thinking about people in the States. I have felt pain from the pile high amounts of food I've consumed in one sitting (multiple times. You'd think I'd learn...) I have boughten cool Italian things :) and taught cool Italian students. I have Skyped almost every night... In these past four months, I feel as if I have experienced it all. Well, as much as 'all' means in a span of four months.

There are still two weeks left in my program but I'm feeling the end before it has even come. I have met great people through my program and I will miss not seeing them daily. I think I can say that this has been the time of my life. It will really suck landing back into reality, which means back to 103 degree Riverside and the possibility of not having a car for next year (who needs cars in Italy? not I...) but I would much rather have experienced my adventures and to miss it than to not have experienced it at all.

In case I do not post for another xxxxx years, my future plans are:

Traveling the rest of Western Europe. I will start my voyage taking my mother and company to Venice, Florence, Rome and Siena. I will then head off to Cinque Terre, French Riviera, Barcelona, Lisbon, Madrid, Paris, London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Munich, Berlin, Sweden and Greece. I will also be bankrupt but I will worry about that later. I will fly from Greece to Rome, where I will fly back to the U.S. to find a certain someone at the airport waiting for me. I will get a great tan and find a place to live in Riverside. I will have a great time at Riverside. I will visit Rita in L.A. where her mother will cook me Kosher Kebabs, Sara in the O.C. where we will roam taco carts and I will introduce her to K.T., and Courtney, Neha, and Bec in S.B. where we will reminisce.

I will miss Noelle and Maria, but I will be happy for them. I will miss Italy, but I will make it a priority to come back some day. I will finally get to see J.A.M, or at least M because I think A got accepted to Cal and bitch never told me (I hope she reads this). I will be glad to be 'home'... at least for a while.

Note to anyone who will study abroad: don't miss home. Don't think a semester is too long. Don't not eat because you think you will get fat. Don't not spend because you fear you will have nothing. Enjoy. Eat. Pray. Love.