New Beginnings

As Sunday, January 31st 2010 grew closer and closer my feelings became very mixed. I was excited, scared, sad, and happy all at the same time. I knew I would miss my family and close friends but not the extent. My family and I never traveled far, so I found packing to be very difficult. For a whole week, I packed, unpacked and re-packed again. As with my clothing and other personal belongings, my emotions constantly changed. One minute I was ready to leave, then the next I wanted to spend another month at home with my family. During my last weekend at home the weather was unpredictable. The weather changed drastically; snowing on Friday, January 29th. I hoped that our group departure flight would not be cancelled due to the weather, but it was. The streets were covered in snow and it took a day for the Department of Transportation (DOT) to clear the streets. Due to this setback our flight was rescheduled to Monday, February 1st. Unbelievable!
On Monday, I woke up very early with an uneasy feeling in my stomach. I was trying to face the fact that this was the last day I would see my family for three months. I quickly checked over my bags to make sure there was not anything important I was missing. I got dressed and ate a big breakfast with my family and awaited the arrival of my older sister, niece, and nephew. My family (which includes my mother, younger brother, older sister and her children) all planned to drive to the airport together. Since there was a lot of snow remaining on the ground we left home earlier than usual. At approximately 8:50 a.m. we left my house and headed to the airport. We arrived at the airport at about 9:45 a.m. Everyone in my family was amazed and stunned at the airport. My family had never been inside an airport before, so we were guaranteed to get lost. Luckily, as we walked inside I noticed Kevin Morrison on the left and received instructions from him. With all the chaos in my mind, I managed to get checked in and exchanged a few words for the last time with family. After check-in, we proceeded to the waiting area to relax before our first flight to JFK in New York. Even though I convinced myself that I would not cry or tear up when saying goodbye to my family; I DID! So many emotions rushed into my head and wiped all my confidence away. As I walked through the security check tears rolled down my face and dropped on my sweatshirt. I wondered how I would get through this experience without my family. As I said bye and gave out my last hugs, my granddad called. It was a coincidence because I thought in my head that I did not call him as I said I would. So I said bye to my granddad and told him I loved him. This was something that I had not done in many years, so to hear him say he loved me made tears come down faster. After I passed through the security check, I did one last goodbye wave to my family and was on my way. I was very uneasy about the actual flight because I had never been on a plane before. I had a lot of bad thoughts in my head from movies and stories, but I managed to clear my head of those thoughts before the first flight taken off.
The flight to JFK in New York from RDU in Raleigh, North Carolina was very scary for me. The plane was so tiny and compact; it felt that if I were to stand up the plane would tip over. I felt very claustrophobic, but looking out the window was not helping. So I just closed my eyes and prayed silently. I sat in seat 1B, which was in the front next to my soon-to-be roommate, Shannon. I was terrified the whole ride, but thankfully Shannon was there to ease the stress. The flight was not that long but I was happy to land on ground. Our next flight was to depart New York to Rome at 5:20 p.m. This flight was not as bad as the first. I felt prepared and comfortable, because this was my second plane ride and the plane was bigger. It was very hard for me to fall asleep on this flight for two reasons. The first was that I could not seem to get comfortable and the second that the passengers around me talked the entire way to Rome. I was a little upset, but soon got over it. I found myself falling in and out of dreams; of all the situations that would be left behind and the new experiences that would come true right before my eyes once in Italy.
Tuesday morning we arrived here in Italy. We landed in Rome, only to find ourselves bouncing away on a four hour bus ride to Sansepolcro, Italy. Once we arrived, Dr. Betty Webb and Sara were waiting to greet us. They both seemed really nice. I felt very special that Sara offered to help carry my bags to the Palazzo. Sara was the first “true” Italian I ever set eyes on and I found myself staring at her in amazement. It took about three minutes to walk down the cobblestone road to get to the Palazzo. I was astonished at the beauty and surroundings of the Palazzo. It felt as if I was in a dream and had not awakened yet. All the different smells was refreshing and new to my senses. The smell of pizza and cigarettes lingered, which would last for three months. The Palazzo was gorgeous and the thought of it being my home for the next few months brought a smile to my face. But that smile soon disappeared once I began to unpack. As I unpacked I got very homesick, very quickly. I did not want to talk to anyone or see anyone but my family. At lunch I felt it the hardest, because I kept looking around and did not see anyone I knew. I just wanted to hold my head down and cry but I just kept quiet. After lunch, the group went walking around the city to get a feel of a Tuscan atmosphere. We walked to a store called the Pam, but on the way we saw many significant areas. We saw the town cathedral, the Piazza Torre Di Berta, and many small shops along the way. It was very exciting and motivating, but it still did not change my mood. For dinner we ate delicious pizza, which was the best I ever tried. Overall, the first day was depressing. So that night, I lay in bed and said my prayers till I fell asleep. I thought that things could only go up from here.
On Wednesday, my week started to look better for me. I was overly tired from jet-lag, but I pushed my way through four classes. My first impression of the class schedule was unpleasant. I felt overwhelmed and defeated before my experience began. After lunch, for some reason my entire attitude began to change. I felt better about my surroundings and lucky to be here. I had an art class later that day, which was very interesting. It was interesting not only because I was looking at the professor using Skype but also because I actually knew some of the material. A few topics, such as Greek columns and Roman inspirations, were familiar to me. After class, everyone went back to our computers to update our families on our newly found lives in Italy. All the girls sat in the green lounge, facebooking and skyping away. The green lounge was the only area, at the time that received internet connection, so due to this mishap all the girls were confined to the lounge. Later on that night, some of the girls realized that the plugs were not tightly secured in the wall, which was why the connection was bad. So then they fixed the plugs, making it more convenient to use the internet in our bedrooms. I was glad because walking to the green lounge was cold and uncomfortable. I talked with my mother and granddad that night. They were overly excited to talk to me and made me feel good about my decision to come here. The next morning I woke up early again for three classes. It was Thursday and I was excited, because that meant my last class would be over by 3:30. After my Justice and Liberty course, the group went to the COOP. The COOP was very similar to the Pam, which we had gone to a couple days before. Both stores were similar to a grocery store in the States, but still differing in many ways. It was interesting to look around and take pictures. I was really surprised at the shopping carts. The carts were neat; there was a hand-held cart that you could actually roll on the ground. It was my first time using Euros, not dollars. After leaving the COOP, everyone was tired. We attempted to do homework, but found it better to talk about all the things we had seen and will see soon!