Benvenuto!

Ciao a tutti! Benvenuto! Welcome to my blog where I will record some of what occurs during my semester abroad. It's hard to believe that I am just two weeks away from returning to Italy. And it's going to be jam-packed: I have to finish some paperwork for Meredith and I only have a limited amount of time to see my friends in Raleigh and to spend time with my family before I spend about 4 months abroad.

I won't lie. I'm a bit worried about being homesick especially around some of the events I'll be missing. It's going to be hard to miss birthdays and all the Meredith events: Crook Hunt, Stunt, Celebrating Student Achievement Day, Class Day, and Graduation. I hate that I'm not going to be there celebrating with some of my best friends. Traditions are so important to life at Meredith, but I believe that studying abroad is going to be an irreplaceable experience.

So the story for those of you who don't already know: I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to study abroad for 4 weeks this past summer with 1 week of personal travel. I spent it in Siena (yes, I'm going back to the same place) and had a fantastic time being in the middle of The Palio horse race, learning to cook, doing a little bit of sight seeing (Italian style). You can catch up on my past travels here.

This time around I'll be studying at Siena School for Liberal Arts and staying with a family in the city. One of my best friend's studied there last semester after spending the summer with a family. Her blog is included in the Link section as well. I'm really excited about everything that's in store for me this semester.

As I said earlier, I'll be posting updates when I can. I'd love for you to check out my posts and leave comments every once in a while. It's nice to know that there are people on the other side of cyberspace, especially when I'm on the other side of the Atlantic! :) I'll also be adding pictures when I get a chance which you can see under the "Le Fotografie" link. Hope you enjoy "your virtual semester" in Italy. A dopo, i miei amici!