So I know I'm still in the USA, but Iowa is foreign to most of you!

Greetings from West Des Moines, IA! As Molly can attest from her recent visit here on her way back to Toledo, I love my state. The corn is starting to sprout through the rich, black soil. It's been hot and humid (the way Iowa summers should be!), and we've gotten quite a few strong thunderstorms in the last three weeks. Des Moines is booming. Last weekend, I went downtown with some friends to see a "block party" set up in the entertainment district, complete with a performance by Vanilla Ice! Iowa has a strong history that is leading the state into the future. If any of you want to visit, I have a place for you to stay. The Iowa State Fair is coming up, August 9-19, and it's by far the highlight of the summer. I'd recommend for you to visit at least once in your lifetime, and why not when you have a great native tour guide?

As far as my own experiences this summer:

I'm working for the Iowa Cubs (the AAA affiliate of the Chicago Cubs--Molly watch out, we're ahead in our division! We might make the play-offs! Your team should, too)as an usher on the Party Deck. It's great fun. I'm also working in the communications department for the Hillary Clinton for President campaign here in Iowa. I love my job! It's a lot of work, but I work with some of the best political thinkers in the state and nation every day. We're in to win! Being in Iowa is so much fun as a political nerd. My fam's around, too. Lisa gets her driver's license tomorrow. Phillip, the 7 year old, and I are growing a garden. Chris, the 10 year old, just got glasses and is extremely proud of them.

Well, it's time for bed here. I hope all is well for you. I miss you terribly. Safe travels to you, Ben and Demetra! Keep the posts coming, I enjoy reading them.

Hola de Cuernavaca, Mexico

Hello,

I arrived yesterday in Mexico City after waking up at 3AM in order to catch a flight since my original flight was cancelled due to snow (yes, snow) in Butte. I was hit on in the Mexico City airport (as Molly and Anna may enjoy hearing) and have gotten used to hearing ¨muy bonita.¨ Mexico City has over 9 million people speaking a foreign language so I immediately felt overwhelmed. I definitely was not in my small, hometown of Butte any longer.
I arrived in Cuernavaca, a town right outside of Mexico City, late last night and have an amazing host family. The town seems safe (well, safer than Mexico City), and I am able to walk to school each morning. The school I´m attending will be hard, but it will force me to learn Spanish. Tomorrow, the Gonzaga group is going on an excursion to a city with pyramids. I´ll update you more later.

Demetra

Firenze

So for those of you are keeping up with this, I just spent the last five or days touring Rome, and I have now been living and going to school in Florence for the past two days. Rome was incredible, and i saw a lot of cool things: the Vatican, the Colossium, the Forum, the graves of Ignatius, Aloysius, and John Paul II, the Sistine Chapel, the Pantheon, and so much more! We were on the go every day all day, and now I'm in class for most of the morning, which is quite a change! We will be heading to a coastal region on the Western coastline of Italy called Cinque Terre this weekend, which promises to be an exciting adventure to say the least. I am meeting lots of new people and seeing lots of beautiful buildings and artwork. I can't wait for you to go aborad!

I have pictures of my trip so far on my website: http://italianbene.shutterfly.com

Ciao and have a great summer!

Ben

Ciao mi amici!

So I leave for Seattle on Sunday, and fly to Rome in 4 days, and it's kind of weird. I have never been on this kind of trip before, and I don't really know what to expect. Things seem unreal, especially since I am in the middle of moving out of my dorm. I'm sure once i make it home the feeling will come over me of "was that all a dream? did that even happen?". But I am very excited. One of my close friends gave me some advice about travelling: "Let it be what it is. Go in with an open mind and don't try to make it something it's not. This way, it will be your own experience." So that's going to be my approach i think.

Some news: I have a website where I will be posting pictures from my trip for you to view. you don't need to be a member to view them, which is nice. Here's the address: http://italianbene.shutterfly.com

I'm going to finish packing up my stuff now. It's amazing how small my bags look when you think about the fact that i'm going to be living out of them for 8 weeks! I hope finals went well for you, and have a great weekend!

Ben

One Week and Counting!

So this is kind of a test to see if i'm doing this right, considering i only have a week to figure this out before i leave on a plane to spend 8 weeks touring Italy and some of Europe. I am super excited and a little nervous for my first off-the-continent experience! I'll try and keep this updated as much as i can!

Ciao mi amici!

Ben

Requisite First Post

Heyla, esteemed classmates,

Listening to the brilliant second installment of Moose Trax, I was seized by a deep feeling of love for you all, and of mourning for the imminent departure of many of us for various corners of the world.

I thought that maybe a good way to stay in touch and chronicle the adventures of abroad would be a big group blog, and since mentioning the idea didn't meet any immediate quashing (and since some people will be abroad in only a few weeks!), I went ahead and made one, then invited everyone in our class to be authors in it.

So, yes. I can only write about any encounters I have with Spokane's local and exotic culture, since I'll be here all next year, but I very much hope everyone likes the idea and keeps me company with their stories, and maybe photographs. Good idea?

Yours lonelily,

Jessie