Musings on an Eventful Summer

Come to think of it, of all the summers to have before heading off to Rome, this has been probably the most ridiculous. I did not have a steady job over the summer I was able to work here and there with some of my lovely previous employers. Though jobless, the past few months have been far from filled with relaxation and preparation for Rome. Almost everything that could have happened did happen! I traveled to Colorado, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusettes, attended plenty of weddings and anniversaries, became a god-mother to an adorable cousin, climbed mountains, went to a Philosophy Institute, camped at the Easternmost point of the United States, and above all caught a ripping case of pneumonia! Add that to spending the rest of my time with friends and family and you have a very intense, but utterly spiffing summer. Perhaps not the ideal one to have before Rome, but it makes it all the more exciting, don't you think?

One day before departure, I am (basically) all packed. I'm surprised at my own motivation here--generally I am freakishly packing an hour or two before. Because I am the student who will be at the outbound airport the earliest (my flight leaves Maine at 5:45 AM--eek!--and gets to Dulles Int. at 7:30), I have been given the responsibility of checking my fellow students in and making sure they're all where they need to be and such. I was sent much information about each student, including phone numbers, hometown, date of birth, and even photos! I have the ammunition to become the most epic stalker. But of course, I'd never, ever even think about doing something like that.