No more stress!

I am happy to announce that I will be staying in Spokane this summer! I was fortunate enough to land an awesome summer internship with a non-profit here doing marketing, PR, and event planning.  With this said, I no longer have to worry about the idea of doing international phone interviews while I am in Florence.  I will officially have nothing hanging over my head while I am abroad! Instead, I will be able to enjoy a fabulous semester, come home to California, fly up to Spokane, and enjoy a Spokane summer. Another bit of travel good news is that our passports and visa arrived on campus today, so we can finally breathe and not worry about the possibility of them not arriving until we have gone home for break!

Countdown: (less than) 23 DAYS

One month to go?? One month to go!

Well December 3rd (also one of my best friend's 21st birthday) marked ONE MONTH until Florence!  When that date rolled around, there was a whole lot of nervous excitement whenever any of us brought up the F-word... Luckily on the 1st, the GU themed house hosted a Florence information session and we were able to talk to GIF alumni about their experiences and learn the most important advice that no one tells you.  For example, it really isn't as great of an idea as it seems to buy a shot glass in every country, make a Costco run and stock up on toiletries because everything (shampoo, feminine products, conditioner, ect.) is way more expensive and you get a lot less, Italy has great sales in February so save shopping for then, go somewhere and get lost because finding your way back leads to some great exploration and adventures, and of course, spoil yourself, embrace the atmosphere, and most importantly, calories don't exist in Europe.  I will make sure to keep all of these in mind!
Well back to the whole less than one month until Florence thing... This weekend, I fell in love with Spokane.  These past few days will stick with me forever and remind me why I am sad to leave this great little city.  I got to enjoy the bar scene around campus and am excited to return to it in May!  I also got to make some quality memories with my best friends as we celebrated Mary's 21st time around the sun.  We had a nice dinner downtown, which looks wonderful during the holidays and just enjoyed some quality time together.  Sean and I saw Social Network (loved the Palo Alto shout-out) and I just enjoyed having some actual 'us time' because that doesn't happen much in college.  Is it bad that I am already dreading the moment I have to take him to the airport to say good bye? Nope, didn't think so.  I said good-bye to my fellow Gonzaga Bulletin photographers and am excited to keep in touch with them with photo blogs and I know I will be back to them next year! After this weekend, I am looking forward to the adventures to come and was reminded of what I will be excited to come home to! I can't wait to be sleeping in my new home in less than one short month.

"A grand adventure is about to begin." - Winnie the Pooh

Hello! Today I decided that I am going to have a blog while I am abroad in Florence, Italy this spring.  I know this i a bit early considering I am not leaving for 49 days (but who's counting, right?), but  I figured I should figure out how to even put together a blog before getting over there!  I'm about as nervous/anxious/excited as one could be.

I applied for the Gonzaga-in-Florence program last October (yes, October 2009) because I have been interested in it since fall of my senior year of high school.  That fall, my friend Michelle and I went to a Jesuit College Fair at Bellarmine (an all-boys Jesuit high school in San Jose, CA) and talked to a Gonzaga representative there who had studied in Florence for a year when she was a junior.  Hearing about her weekend trips and experience lured my into Gonzaga and from then, I was hooked.  I knew I needed to apply to Gonzaga and do the Gonzaga in Florence program if I ended up going.  Now three years later, that dream is coming together and I couldn't be more thrilled.  The travel plans, housing assignments, shopping for clothes, ect. are all falling into place and a grand adventure is most definitely about to begin!