Predeparture

I am in a pretty uncomfortable situation right now. I am in the midst of packing, and I have to limit myself to one big piece of luggage and a carry-on. Now, I consider myself a very practical individual (my girlfriend Joy, whom I miss very much, can vouch for this). And although I don't have a large amount of clothing, even this is pushing it for me, especially if I wanted to come back to the states with some souvenirs. The problem is, while I would be able to fly American Airlines with two check-ins from the US to London, I won't be able to fly within Europe via Alitalia with two check-ins (if anyone knows otherwise please let me know).

When I am not packing, I am trying to get together with all my high school friends as much as possible since I will only get to see them for four more days until I leave. But I also do a lot of moping since I am not with Joy (the picture is of Joy and me at Venice when we traveled around Europe for three weeks last year). I am so used to being with her all the time, it's like a part of me is missing. While I will be in London and Italy, she will be au pairing in Strasbourg, France, but she doesn't leave until January 5th. The London program will be done January 10th, but I will be travelling to Rome with some fellow Deltasigs for five days, then I will fly up to Strasbourg to see Joy. So it will be about a month until I get to see her again which pretty much sucks hardcore. Fortunately, I bought her a webcam for Christmas and since my laptop has a webcam and mic, we will be able to talk and see each other, but I still can't wait until I can actually see her in person. Love you Joy!

I am excited though to soon depart for Europe. This is an exciting new chapter to my education in which I have always wanted to experience, and I am glad I am somewhat able to share the experience with Joy while she is in France since I will be able to visit often. As the days go by, my travelers "itch" is getting bigger, and although I will definitely miss all my friends and family in the States, I am pumped for London and Italy!