Fall semester= Pitt, Spring= Rome

Today I moved back to school and my whole family (minus my brother-in-law) was there to help me. It was just an amazing day. No fights, just togetherness. I'm not sure if that makes sense but it was just a great day.

Before I continue, I want you to understand that I am super excited to be back at school. I can't wait to spend the whole semester with my friends, in a fantastic dorm room, laughing, going out, and just having fun. However, in the back of my mind there will always be a little voice reminding me that after this semester, I will be in Rome...without my family. All summer I have been reminding myself of this fact, but today it really hit me. As I watched my parents get into their car and drive away, I knew that in four months time I won't have the luxury of knowing I will see them in a week or so  and to me, that's quite a scary thought.

Moving back into school is such a gradual process. I started shopping a month ago, I talked about it to my friends/roommates, my mom and I walked around my building two weeks ago, I grocery shopped last week, and today I moved in. Plus, throughout the next couple of weeks I will be bringing things back and forth from my house. With Rome it is so immediate and definite, one day I will be in PGH International Airport and the next I will be in Fiumicino Airport in Rome. There is no cushion for me to fall back on. I think that it will be a truly life changing experience for me. And no matter how scary or hard it is going to be, I guess it's now or never. As I said before, I want to grow into myself and I can't do that without experience.