Planes, Trains and Automobiles!

The suitcase is packed.... It meets the limits imposed by the  airline...assuming we trust our bathroom scale.   My train tickets are purchased, and I have my passport, visa, International Student ID card and a few Euros to eat and catch a cab....

 

I have done better than Santa, because I have not just checked my list twice, but many times over...and I have probably still forgotten something.

 

I have said good bye for now to many friends and family members.  Lots of hugs and a few tears, well-wishes and warnings. 

 

So Saturday morning, the journey of planes, trains and automobiles begins (literally! how awesome is that...)  We head out of Grand Rapids and drive to Chicago's lovely O'hare airport, where I will parade through the corrals and crowds, pick up my tickets, and board my flight with Alitalia at 3:35 PM straight to Roma, the Eternal City.  I'll be landing in Roma (assuming all goes well) at about 8AM (which is about 2AM Michigan time)  Then more corrals crowds and customs... an out to catch a train to Roma Termini.  Once I am there, I will hopefully have a few hours to rest, and find some food.  Then it is off again!  From Roma Termini to Fabriano, and from Fabriano to Macerata by bus.  Once in Macerata, I will hail a cab to my hotel, and best case scenario, be there by about 9:30PM Sunday (which is 3:30 PM Michigan time)

 

And then the adventure begins :)

 

I can't wait to start this chapter of my life, I feel like it is full of opportunities that I can't even describe, because I don't even know what they are yet. The next semester is like a blank canvas, a bit daunting, but begging to be filled with something beautiful.  I really have no idea what the picture will look like when its done... a few general sketches, a lot of reference pictures, but the results are a mystery, and to me, thats the best part.

 

Thank you so much to all of you who have loved me and suppored me as I have prepared myself for this endeavor.  I have been blessed with a wonderful family (blood related and otherwise) and I am so grateful for each of you.