Italian Update

Hey gang!

It's been a while since i posted here, and a lot has happened! My weekend in Cinque Terre was relaxing and beautiful (with the exception of a great sunburn!) and this past weekend, we went to Munich, Germany. Molly, I am a little jealous. I loved Germany! Nights at the Haufbrauhaus were an incredible experience, and a visit to Dachau and the "Disney" castle evened out the fun with more, uh, cultured experiences. As usual, I am excited for all of you who can to go abroad. it's amazing the things you learn about yourself when placed out of the ordinary living space. just as college was a time of this type of growth, studying abroad is even greater still!

Upcoming events in Ben's Life: Midterms, visit to the Amalfi Coast, Barcelona, and Finals! only 4 weeks to go!

-Ben

PS - pics from Cinque Terre and Munich are up on my web site:
http://italianbene.shutterfly.com

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