Packing, Leaving, and Arriving in Italy

As I said in my last post, I wanted to put something on here over the weekend about what I packed for the trip. I ended up waiting until the last minute to do that, so I am posting now from ITALY! :)

Lucia, our program coordinator here in Piacenza, warned us last week that she had a small car and couldn't handle too much luggage. Therefore, I tried to get an entire month of clothes, gifts, school supplies, etc. into one suitcase and a backpack. For anyone student teaching overseas in the future, here is a list of what I was able to pack:

Suitcase

• 18 tops (with most of them being tank tops and cardigans so that I can mix and match)
• 2 jackets (one light jacket and one rain jacket)
• 5 pairs of pants
• 4 pajama t-shirts
• 3 pairs pajama shorts/pants
• 2 scarves
• 3 belts
• 10 pairs of socks
• 5 pairs of shoes (Keds, sandals, flats)
• 2 small, cross-body purses
• Small duffel bag (to use as a carry-on if I need one on the way back)
• All the normal bathroom things (shampoo, toothpaste, etc.) -- tops taped shut
• Gifts for my host family

Backpack

• Sunglasses
• Money, insurance card, passport, etc.
• Laptop, case, and charger
• iPad, case, and charger
• Phone and charger
• Camera and charger
• Ear buds
• International outlet adapter
• School supplies
• Umbrella
• Water bottle
• Italian dictionary

The next important thing was getting here! I don't really know why, but Alicia, Madison, Sandy, and I had the most laid back experience at every airport we went to. I thought it would be really crazy since it was an international flight, but it actually ended up being way less stressful than any other flight I've ever been on (which could be good or bad!). We didn't have to take our shoes off, go through that weird body scanner, or even really meet with anybody in Italy other than to have our passports stamped. So overall, the flights were all good. :) I tried to take some pictures of different parts of the flight (below).

Leaving America!

Plane food: chicken with red pepper sauce, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, roll, Swiss cheese, crackers, and a caramel brownie -- not bad at all!

Flying over the Alps... I couldn't believe how huge they looked, even at 37,000 ft up!

Getting close to Milan

I haven't gotten any good pictures since I've been on the ground (we've been going nonstop), so I will post those as soon as I can. Piacenza is beautiful, though, and my host family is so sweet. They even got me an American flag comforter for my bed, haha!