After much soul searching I decided to keep a record of my upcoming trip. I leave shortly for a summer program in Italy. I have been trying to think in Italian more the last few days, in hopes that when I arrive I won’t be totally dumbstruck.
This language nervousness is universal among travellers, but I might be more susceptible than others, due to an experience on my first trip to Italy. My luggage was lost on my way to Parma, and I found myself without my clothes for a few days before the suitcase was retreived. I needed to buy clothes for the interim, and discovered that I had not learned the Italian for “underwear” in my university Italian classes. After having to act out underwear in a small town clothing shop, I vowed to be better prepared next time (and to always pack clothes in my carry-on).
So in addition to regular conversational Italian, I made sure to learn how to say “I’m a vegetarian”, “What time is Mass?”, “Where is the bathroom?” and a few other indispensibles. I realized last night that I haven’t learned to say “Doctor, I got a lot of bugbites on the Cape this fever might be Eastern Equine Encephalitis”, but I may be worrying a bit too much.
When deciding to start a blog for this trip I made a list of pros and cons. Here’s what I came up with.
PROS:
1. Nick and Katie did it and it seemed cool.
When two friends spent some time in Africa they kept on online record of their adventures. Sure, I won’t be doing malaria research or working in a Malawian orphanage, but they gave me hope that someone, somewhere, might find this interesting.
2. Continued motivation to “Go for the funny”.
My life, like the lives of many of my friends, is a cycle of seeking out funny moments and then sharing them with anyone who will listen. Even though I won’t have a phone while I am abroad, I will still be able to share the funny.
3. My mom will still be able to know every last detail of my life
Again, the lack of phone comes into play here. Since I can’t spent hours a day talking to the mommers, I’ll keep her up to date here. Hi Mom!
CONS:
1. The Pressure!!!!
What if I don’t have time to post? What if I’m not interesting? What if people don’t think my title is astonishingly clever (it’s a Boheme reference, friends)? What if my posts are too long? What if they’re too short???? I have clearly channeled general travel anxiety into this decision.
2. My father will be mad.
And not because he will feel like his has to read it (he won’t feel that way). But because when you let people know you are travelling you set yourself up to have your house/car/identity stolen. Dear Dad: This is the biggest risk I’ve taken in about 2 years, so bear with me. Dear Thieves: My car is under a security camera and needs new brakes. My landlady is vigilant and my neighbors are crazy and they are always home. I have the number to cancel my credit cards with me, and my identity might not be worth having.
As you can see, the Pros outweigh the Cons. Stay tuned for further adventures. I have a stick of deodorant, my passport, and some rosary beads, and I think I am ready to go. I didn’t have “start a blog” on my to do list for today, but I might go write it down just so I can cross it off.