What does one do their last day in the States for four months?

"Love and be with your mother". That was the answer I heard when I asked that question out loud this morning. I smiled and rolled my eyes, but Lord knows I love her and we're both lying out by the pool now, so I suppose the answer works.

This is the first post/entry/blog I've made (as well as first time blogging, so I apologize to all the real bloggers reading this- but I have no idea about any of the correct blogging terms) in what I'm hoping will be a somewhat frequently kept up blog (or more likely, a rambling) of my trip to Rome for the fall semester to study abroad at John Cabot University. It's an American style University with many of it's students being Americans going to study abroad (either for a semester or as 4-year, degree seeking students) and a good handful from all around the globe. As well as a good contingent from Italy, itself. All classes, luckily, (besides language, of course) will be taught in English. The University is named after John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto), an Italian explorer, originally from Venice, who became the first European explorer to sail to Canada in 1497 when he landed on the shores of Cape Breton Island. (MacIntyres reading this: we owe him one.)

I started to type a "sorry for the history lesson" type paragraph, but... I'm going to Rome. May have to put up with them from post to post. :-P

For a brief look at the future though- I'm flying from Baltimore to JFK tomorrow, then an overnight flight to Heathrow (London), then finally to Fiumicino Airport in Rome. Take-off at 1:45pm from BWI and land in Rome around 11:30am (local times), long trip, very much worth it.

I should say that now I'm going to go and finish packing/last minute shopping needs, but it's a gorgeous day. So instead, I'm going to continue to listen to what mom told me and "Love and be with your mother" by lying out at the pool.

Talk next time from Rome! Ciao!