I'm not going to Italy until Spring 2010, but why not create a blog now and have one less thing to do later?! Until the day arrives when I step off the airplane in Tuscany, I'll be chronicling my preparations every now & then. Right now, I'm in the process of applying for the actual study away program in Siena, Italy. Although it seems far away, I'm still extremely excited about living in this perfectly preserved medieval Tuscan town, and thinking about a variety of things, from how I'll dress so I don't seem like an American tourist, what to pack in my luggage, learning Italian, to what my roommates will be like in the apartment I'll be living in. I just bought a "Teach Yourself Italian" book from my bookstore, and am learning a couple of excellent but basic Italian words:
-Arrivaderci, "goodbye" to someone you know or a to group of people
-Ciao, "hi" or "bye" to someone you know
-Per piacere, "thank you"
-Buongiorno, "Good morning" or "Good day"
I have so much more to learn and master, but hopefully I have enough time to become somewhat proficient so that I can have a better experience in Italy!
