We're one week away from our departure!! I think I should be nervous, but I'm not yet. After seeing all the flight delays that the music students had to deal with on their trip to France a few days ago, I just hope everything goes smoothly with the planes. And I hope I won't get lost in Atlanta. And I have yet to start my pre-departure assignment... but I still have time between work and hanging out with friends I won't see for a while! And Mother's Day is Sunday too, so we'll have some family fun time before I leave.
My professor has posted some things about Ostia Antica on our Blackboard site. Here is a map of the city, and I'm kind of squealing just looking at it. It's so ancient and stuff! I'm not really sure what we are seeing in Ostia, I just know it's an "archeological site." My professor also gave us a weather update; the weather for next Wednesday in Ostia is supposed to be highs in the low-70's and lows in the mid-50's. Perfect! Considering it was 90 today in Jacksonville, I'm so ready for that.
I feel like I need to start packing. All of the adorable travel-sized items I have gathered for the trip have made their way into a pile on my bedroom floor. Once I get everything organized and packed I think I'll feel a whole lot better. I've also been asking about tips for the international flight, and so far I've gotten:
- SLEEP! The flight will be super boring, and it's overnight, so duh.
- Don't freak out about flying over the ocean. You won't be able to see it. But it will be able to see you.
- They'll have movies to watch on the plane! Watch those.
- If you don't have much faith in Delta's movie choices, download all of the music you want to listen to and movies you want to watch BEFORE the flight, because the in-flight WiFi is more expensive than you think.
- You will end up having to use the bathroom on the plane. With this in mind, do not go for the extra sriracha extra hot toppings on your extra not-stomach-friendly enchilada. Do yourself and everyone else a favor. Actually, just don't eat at all, you'll be fine.
- Ask for an extra blanket. That way you can burrito your legs and your torso and not be sad that you're lacking one or the other.
- Do not make conversation with the person next to you. It will be fine and friendly at first, but after a few hours if they keep talking to you, you will regret it. Don't feel bad that you don't know the person you're sitting next to... it's actually a huge plus.
- Assume your luggage will be lost. Pack two changes of clothes in your carry on, and some kind of sleepwear that is pretty normal, in case you end up standing outside your hotel in the middle of the night wondering how that caught on fire so fast.
- Wear your heaviest things on the plane so your bags weigh a little less. Even if it means holding up the line in security when you have to take your shoes off... it's a small price to pay.
- You must eat gelato every day. I will have multiple people expecting daily gelato selfies and a list of all the different types I tried.
- The jury is still out on this one, but I've been told I don't need a sun hat, but definitely sunscreen. I don't know... I think I need a fancy European sun hat.
- Pack things that are hand-washable and won't take long to dry. You don't want that one thing that you couldn't dry to get packed back in your suitcase and make everything else wet and gross by the time you get it back in Jacksonville.
Ciao for now!
Dani
