Thoughts Before I say Ciao Bella!

Hi guys! I just finished my Hitler midterm (woohoo!) and I think it went well. Then I went to the pizza place for lunch where the guy told us to spend Carnivale in Viarregio and since we decided to take his advice, we thought we would tell him. He was busy, but excited to hear about our plans. I am so excited to go to Italy, ahh I cant wait! Leather, gelato, pasta, and slightly warmer weather sound amazing right now. We leave in about an hour and take a bus to Frankfurt Hahn airport then fly to Rome. Will be arriving at about 9:45 Rome time. I just wanted to write down a few things from this week before I forgot. I will have my comp over the trip, so hopefully I can keep in touch a little and maybe blog because I know I will be doing so much and want to recount it. But here goes...

1. Week Recaps- This week was busy and a little stressful with work, but still fun. On Monday, I watched the Pianist for my Hitler class, it was so sad but so good, I really recommend it. Wednesday we celebrated Mongolian New Year- its a hoax, I've been in Mongolia this whole time just pretending its Luxembourg. Actually, I'm kidding, we have a Mongolian exchange student here and she put it together. We had a dinner that was delicious (i helped make the dumplings during the day) and learned a little about Mongolia. We are entering the Year of the Tiger if you were wondering. I went running in Differdange twice this week, and that was really nice, I feel like I am finally getting to know the town and my way around. Another highlight of the week was eating the oatmeal packets my mom sent me, and skyping and gchatting with everyone a lot! Loved catching up with you all!

2. Being the "UVa girl." I have wanted to write about this for awhile, but have not had time yet. So basically, there are about 120 students here and only 3 don't go to Miami, and you guessed it, I am one of them. Part of me wishes there were more students from other schools or that one of my friends had come with me and we could experience this together. But I also feel like being so on my own has been really good for me. In the beginning, I really had no choice, it was such a "sink or swim" feeling. I was forced to be friendly, outgoing, and willing to meet new people, or I literally would of been stuck with no friends. I am normally prone to worrying and stressing about the small stuff (I think its a Loock gene) but for some reason I was pretty calm. I got more homesick a little later and still do sometimes, but I am proud of how fearless I managed to be in the beginning and am continuing to be! Its also interesting to not only adjust to the Lux culture, but the Miami culture that has been transplanted here as well. I think Miami is a lot like UVa, but it has some differences as well. Overall, I like the people and think its a decent school, but of course nothing can compare to the Hoos :)

3. Goals for Italy:
-see the David and Vatican City
-Buy a sweet leather jacket in Florence
-Celebrate carnivale with locals!
-Do something spontaneous and unexpected
-Enjoy all the food (cannot wait for this time)
-Get closer with the girls I am going with
-Order wine if it is cheaper than water
-Visit lots of museums
-Explore the cities by walking and running as much as possible
-Be safe and careful (make my parents proud and good decisions as dad would say)
-Dance to Italian music at a disco
-Meet up with my friend Jill in Florence

4. Lastly, I want to embarrass my favorite boyfriend and wish Kyle a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! He is turning the big 21 Saturday and I wish I could be there. Have fun and be safe key!

Ok, love you all!

Care