Change is gonna come

I'm in the midst of a week of major changes. In the last 36 hours I finished my co-op job (which I loved) and moved out of my apartment (probably the last dorm room I'll ever inhabit). I came home to NY, shopped for my trip and scheduled time to catch up, then immediately say goodbye to friends I've known since elementary school. In the next 36 hours I'll leave NY for Boston, where I'll spend 48 hours with friends catching up, then immediately saying goodbye. I'll sleep on multiple couches and eat too much take-out, then head to the airport for the longest flight I've ever been on.

I'm definitely going to miss Boston. I haven't left the city for this long since the summer after my freshman year. Even then, I was in New York City, an environment I had lived in before and was comfortable in. Rome is a total unknown for me. Will I be able to relax as much at the Trevi Fountain as I do so often at the Christian Science Center? Will gelateria's fulfill the same hot weather cold dessert craving as Jamba Juice or Pinkberry? I know I won't have any Yankees-Red Sox drama to hear about.

This whole situation is completely foreign to me.

I'm awful at goodbyes, so it's a good thing I'll only be gone for five weeks. When I say "see you soon," at least it's true. It will still be strange to be away from friends I've seen several times a week for years. I'll definitely miss them.

I'll also miss my family while I'm gone. My parents are stressing out about the trip. They're constantly telling me travel tips they've heard from other people and quizzing me on ways to stay safe while I'm abroad. I know they're excited for me, and jealous. Neither of them have ever been to Europe, I wish they could come visit. I look forward to skype chats with them. I'll probably only hear from my little brother when he wants something, but that will at least keep something normal in my life. I'll take what I can get.

I'm so thankful for technology. My parents tell me stories about their friends from college, who had no contact with anyone at home when they went abroad. I'll have e-mail, instant messenger, facebook, twitter, skype and this blog to keep in touch with the people I'm so far away from. I'm probably overly dependent on technology, but for the next five weeks I'm allowed to be.

I haven't had to make new friends in a long time. I'm a friendly person, making friends has never been very difficult for me. However, not having friends in a new location hasn't been a predicament I've faced in three years. I'm sure it will be fine, almost all of the other students at JCU are American, and nearly all will be in the same situation as me. I'm not that worried, but I'd love to meet others to travel with. I'm really excited to meet new people and learn about new places. I know that no matter who I meet and what we talk about I'll learn something I didn't know about or hear I view or perspective I hadn't considered before. I'll probably experience new relationships, behaviors and customs. The human aspect of the trip should be interesting to report on.

As excited as I am to show up in Italy and take it as it comes, I will miss everyone I'm leaving at home. Please keep in touch, and I'll do my best to do the same. (I don't know what my internet situation will be...) E-mails, aim chats, facebook posts, skype calls and blog comments will be appreciated. You can also send me texts (incoming texts will be free for me, but it's expensive to respond), but please don't call! It's super expensive, and I get charged the second my phone rings even if I don't pick it up. Eek!

I promise to update as frequently as I have time and internet access. See you in August!

Ciao!