So lately, truth be told, I've been really stressed out about this Italy thing. You'd think I'd be bouncing off the walls with excitement, but actually what I feel is more like dread. Dread that I will have no down-time, no time to decompress once I return to the states. (Seriously, I am supposed to go back to work THE NEXT DAY!) Dread from the stress that I know comes with international travel. Dread that I will be separated from the love of my life for 2 whole months!
This coupled with all my fear and insecurity: What if I am grossly under-prepared? What if we spend so much time focusing on ancient Italy that I don't get to experience modern Italy? What if everyone else is cool and nobody wants to be my friend?
(Wait! Time out! Did I write "cool"? Who am I kidding? All these people going on the trip...we are Classicists. We study dead people. ("Deader than dead" as my dad says.) We are ALL dorks! Scratch that fear off the list.)
...What if this ends up being a miserable trip because I am traveling alone? Ugh! How could a trip to Italy be such a downer?! I love, love, LOVE Italy! The last time I went to Italy I cried as soon as I got off the plane because it felt so good, so RIGHT, to be back again! Everybody seems surprised by my reaction, including myself.
Well, fear no more! Thanks to the wonder that is Facebook, I found out that Jainna, one of my closest friends from Grad School is in Rome right now! I can't believe it! Jainna, with whom I spent so much of my first year at FSU, is currently in Rome and I'm going to get to see her on my first day! Usually, she is 3000 miles away in Alberta, but now we're going to be just 5 blocks apart! Seriously, what are the odds? Now I AM excited to go to Italy because I get to catch up with a dear old friend! Oh, Jainna! You are a godsend and you don't even know it!
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