Bye Falmouth.

So. TOMORROW. I go to NEW YORK CITY for my first orientation. I'm still packing... but I'm procrastinating right now. So tomorrow I'll wake up early, then my mother and I will drive to NYC, then I have an overnight orientation. The next day I fly out to Switzerland and have a connecting flight to Rome. Then we have a 2 day orientation in Rome, then I take a train, and my host family picks me up on the 11th of September. I am so excited/nervous/stressed/can't wait right now. I really should stop procrastinating and finish my packing. But once I get to Italy I'll try to update this blog more often so everyone can read it.

I can't wait to take you all on my Italian adventure!

italyitalyitalyitaly

cantwaitcantwaitcantwait. 40 days until i go. IM SO EXCITED. I have 3 weeks until my visa appointment with the consulate of italy in boston and I'm pretty sure it will all go smoothly. I really don't have much to say except that I literally can hardly wait to get on that plane and land in ROME! yess so pumped.

the waiting game.

A lot has happened in the past few months. I was placed with a host family, in Fasano, Italy. Its on the coast, near the Adriatic sea, and according to Google maps, its 5 hours and 23 minutes from Rome. I was also placed in a school, Institutio Scholastico da Vinci. I have 3 host sisters, a host mother, and a host father, and they all seem fantastic. Just writing about it I get excited.
But now I have a problem.
I just want to go. I don't want to wait an entire summer, and I don't want to have to do everything I have to get done in 3 months. I have to take an english course, I have to try my hardest to get a job, I have to apply for a visa, and right now I'm supposed to be writing a letter to the principal of my school explaining why I should be allowed to study abroad. There's just so much I have to do before I board that flight on September 8th in New York City, and every day I feel more and more excited to go and less excited for the things I still have left to do.
I guess I just have to keep reminding myself that I have to keep working hard, and I can't just be lazy. I know I can get it done, right now, I'm just tired of jumping through all these hoops.
I guess my mind is just ready to get there, while everything else just isn't quite up to speed with that. I just can't forget that I still have..
12 weeks, 4 days, 6 hours, and 37 minutes to go.

lets do this.

If someone had told me last year that I would have the opportunity to live in Europe for an entire school year, I would have thought that it was impossible. I still can hardly believe that my dream is slowly becoming a reality.
But before I get into my building excitement of the experience that I am about to embark on, let me introduce myself. My name is Renee Ioannilli, and I'm a junior in high school. I've always wanted to travel the world, and I recently decided that someday I want to be tri-lingual. About a month ago I got my passport, and it was just as exciting to me as getting my drivers license, if not more. Just knowing that with my passport, my drivers license, and maybe a plane ticket or two, I can go anywhere  and everywhere.
Next year is going to be full of crazy and unbelievable experiences. I can not wait to see whats in store for me in this incredible journey, and I'll be updating this blog frequently to document my travels. So if you want to come along with me to Italy, be sure to check in once in awhile to see what I'm up to!