Prepare For Takeoff.... Rome 2018

If you could only see what my room is covered in right now as I am preparing to pack for my trip for Rome. My bed is full of travel-size necessities. Not just a travel size package of Tums or deodorant, there is everything. Yesterday I stopped at my happy place Target to get a few last minute things before my flight, but instead I raided the aisle of everything miniature. You know, I really did need shampoo and conditioner, but instead I left with EVERYTHING. I really wish I could have read the mind of the Target cashier checking me out because they were probably just so confused as to why someone needed such an assortment of different things. My thought process exactly – better safe than sorry!

I am going to Rome, Italy.

Wait, hold on….

No I was right, I’m really going to Italy for eight whole weeks on my own.

Sorry, sometimes it still just seems like a dream to me. For a person that often likes to talk and speak their mind, it is hard for me to comprehend and put into words as to what I will be experiencing in a matter of a couple of days. I have traveled abroad to France before with my French class exactly four years ago this summer, so I am familiar with the whole ‘traveling across the world on your own’ experience. However, this summer I am interning for Romeing Magazine as a content producer intern where I will be going around the streets of Rome, shooting video and pictures then putting together videos, and also blogging about the specified topic. The idea of working in Italy is exhilarating but also terrifying because I am throwing myself into a completely unfamiliar environment. Usually I am a timid person when it comes to taking risks, but this summer I am unbelievably eager to go outside my comfort zone. Not only is this trip abroad about exploring my Journalistic creativity in an incredible internship, but this trip will also teach me so much about myself as a person.

It’s been about four months since the decision was made on traveling to Rome this summer for an internship. Just saying those words gets me excited all over again and I cannot stop thinking how eternally grateful I am for this opportunity. The initial excitement back in January was, “Oh my goodness I’m going to Rome, Italy this summer!” But as this past semester was in full swing, I was consistently focused on projects, papers and exams that needed to be completed. As crazy as it sounds, the constant workload distracted me from the fact that I would be leaving the country in a few short months.

I haven’t left for Rome, or even fully packed yet, but an initial tip for others studying abroad is to CONTACT YOUR ROOMMATES ASAP. Luckily, one of my best friends from college is one of my roommates this summer, but we also have two other girls living in our apartment with us. My roommate Sam, being the jump starter on everything that she is, found our two other roomies on Facebook within minutes and contacted them. A few days later, we had a group message going and were talking about where were interning this summer, what we’re bringing, and so much more. If my roommate had not contacted the other girls and taking the initiative to start a group message, it would make meeting each other a lot scarier since we were not in any contact whatsoever.

It’s going to be hard to leave my home, let alone my home country, but also start from scratch in regards to meeting people and adapting to my new environment. I’ve been looking forward to this trip for months, and now I’m finally getting ready to leave.

I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life. CIAO!