Yup, now that Teague's away at college, the waterworks have officially begun, courtesy of my mother. It's nice to know that I'm loved. But, in the words of Peter, Paul and Mary (the band, not the apostles... common mistake, I know.): all my bags are packed, I'm ready to go... I'm leavin' on a jet plane, and I really don't know the exact date that I'll be back again. That's all part of the fun, though!
Just doing some last minute things... updating the blog, Twitter and Facebook (and yes, I do know how gross and Millenium generation that sounds, but what can I say?) loading the iPod with some new tunes, and soaking up these last few hours of Big Sky.
A Meditation on Montana
Really, if you've never been to Montana, I don't know how to explain this phenomenon. There are other places that have wide open spaces, but I've never seen more sky anywhere else I've been (this includes the god-forsaken Dakotas) than I do here. Sometimes in Michigan I get stressed and claustrophobic and I can't figure out why... but then we go to the beach or something and suddenly I feel this release; there's something about feeling so small that makes you feel larger inside. I was actually talking about this with Ryan and Katie the other night... Montana is addicting and annoying in its contradiction. When you're young you can't wait to vamoose to somewhere more exotic (like Rome), exciting (like Rome) and far far away (you get it). But there's something about this place, the people and the fact that the same drive through the canyon to Helena or over the pass to Missoula can still yeild such breathtaking, heartbreaking beauty that seems different each of the thousand times you see it. It gets in your blood. I don't know if this attatchment to a place occurs in other areas, since I'm a Montana girl born and raised, but I know that however far away I get, I'm still going to have this place in me in a very fundamental way. So, I can't wait to leave, mostly because I have the comfort of knowing that when I come home, 'home' will be the same, but I'll be able to appreciate it through different eyes.
With that sentimental detour, I'll sign off for right now. The next time I write, chances are it'll be from our Roman appartemento... so keep your fingers crossed that everything goes the way it's supposed to!
Arrivederci!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
G-Funk, Montucky
Alas, I am not yet in La Citta Eterna, but rather in La Citta G-Funka, packing, running errands and generally being my lovely yet neurotic self until I leave for Detroit on Monday. I've created this blog so you can keep up (if you so desire) with my adventures in Rome, Florence and the surrounding environs (aka: everywhere my Eurrail pass will take me in two months) first hand through my own scintilating prose. I jest. Scintilating is just not strong enough a word. I jest again. I do that.
I head out for Detroit on Monday, August 31st. I have a feeling this is going to be a rough week for my mother, considering she and my dad will be taking my brother Teague to college roughly two days before I jet off to parts unknown. If you happen to see us at the Great Falls International Airport that morning, don't worry. Nobody died.
I'm meeting Elissa, one of the other K Kids going on this adventure with me, and we're spending the night at the uber-swank Romulus Super 8. For those of you who are confused as to why a day between connecting flights is necessary: well, you obviously haven't heard about my luck with planes.
We leave from Detroit Wayne on September 1st (so very Harry Potter of us) for Antwerp, and then catch our connecting flight to Rome, where we will become contestants on the reality show The Real World: Rome. I say this because, as of yet, we have no idea where or with whom we will be living. All I've been able to beat out of the CIP (Center for International Programs at K) is that we will be occupying apartments of some sort, and it is possible that these apartments will be in Rome. I've also heard a rumor that there might possibly but not certainly will be a balcony in said apartment, but more on that when the occassion arises. We're most likely living with other K Kids, so I'll let you know more about my roommates when they materialize.
I know, all of my details are kind of sketchy, but that's sort of how I like to do things. I'm looking at this trip as an incredible learning experience that I've been fortunate enough to stumble into, and I know that every little weird occurance will be an adventure. Maybe they won't all be adventures I'll enjoy at the time, but think of the stories they'll make for your entertainment. 6 days until the travels begin! Bring 'em on!
I head out for Detroit on Monday, August 31st. I have a feeling this is going to be a rough week for my mother, considering she and my dad will be taking my brother Teague to college roughly two days before I jet off to parts unknown. If you happen to see us at the Great Falls International Airport that morning, don't worry. Nobody died.
I'm meeting Elissa, one of the other K Kids going on this adventure with me, and we're spending the night at the uber-swank Romulus Super 8. For those of you who are confused as to why a day between connecting flights is necessary: well, you obviously haven't heard about my luck with planes.
We leave from Detroit Wayne on September 1st (so very Harry Potter of us) for Antwerp, and then catch our connecting flight to Rome, where we will become contestants on the reality show The Real World: Rome. I say this because, as of yet, we have no idea where or with whom we will be living. All I've been able to beat out of the CIP (Center for International Programs at K) is that we will be occupying apartments of some sort, and it is possible that these apartments will be in Rome. I've also heard a rumor that there might possibly but not certainly will be a balcony in said apartment, but more on that when the occassion arises. We're most likely living with other K Kids, so I'll let you know more about my roommates when they materialize.
I know, all of my details are kind of sketchy, but that's sort of how I like to do things. I'm looking at this trip as an incredible learning experience that I've been fortunate enough to stumble into, and I know that every little weird occurance will be an adventure. Maybe they won't all be adventures I'll enjoy at the time, but think of the stories they'll make for your entertainment. 6 days until the travels begin! Bring 'em on!
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