Almost There...

I have exactly one week left before I step onto the plane that will take me to the next chapter of my life... The anticipation is probably the hardest part.

I fly out of Kansas City next Sunday, 06 September, to Detroit, where I have a 5-hr layover... From Detroit, I fly directly to Rome and then from Rome to Catania, my destination.

Today marks the beginning of extreme packing at its finest. I've already begun to stow away clothes and other things that I'm not taking with me, which has made it a lot easier to see what I would like to take.

I received an email yesterday from Manuela, the president of Catania's Rotaract (former exchange students); she and others will apparently be meeting me at the airport, and they've already started planning my welcoming party, which will be on Thursday, 10 September. It will be on the beach, a "light party", where everyone will bring their own lights and there will be candles all over the beach... I'm so excited! I can't wait to meet everybody.

California was great, a nice getaway... It was really wonderful to be able to visit my family there. I had a great time with them! I can't thank them enough for that week-long escape. I also discovered a profound love for the desert, and was always pleased to see mountains on almost every side of the city. Life in California is busy and fast-paced, but also very relaxed at the same time... It's the oddest thing.

I'll be sure to post links to pictures of California, and hopefully Sicily very soon!

Ciao, a presto!

Hunter

GETTING PREPARED

Ciao!

It’s getting really close... I don’t leave until the first week of September, but until I get my visa, the travel agent can’t book my flight, which means I don’t have an official departure date yet.

There’s an orientation for inbound Rotary exchange students this Saturday; I can’t wait to meet everyone! This will also give the outbound students (myself included) a good idea of what to expect when we arrive in our destination countries... There’s a boy from northern Italy, so perhaps I will be able to practice my Italian a bit!

Also, I’m going to California for a week on Sunday to visit family and to gain experience flying alone. I’m really excited for that; I haven’t been to California since I was seven-years-old. Whoa... I’ll come back from California the following Saturday, leaving only about a week or so before I depart for Sicily.

I’ll post photos from California once I get back, and maybe a few of good ol’e Manhattan, just for nostalgia’s sake.

Arrivederci!