In just under two weeks, I will be on an airplane on my way to Rome! I remember when my friends and I were counting down from 120 days. I can’t believe this semester has gone so fast!

Since my last posting, we have finished a few more things in preparation for our trip.

We’ve received our student visas so we can actually take classes and be considered as a student in Italy. We’ve also applied for our Dichiarazione di Presenza (statement of presence, saying we can live in Rome). We also found out what classes we will definitely be taking. I’m taking Roman History and Art History in Rome. I’m excited, because both of these classes have an “on site” section, meaning we won’t be in the classroom the whole time. We’ll actually be visiting museums and other places in Rome, to really immerse ourselves in the class. There are also other little excursions outside of class time that we have to go on, so that will be really exciting too!

Just the other week we had an orientation at Temple’s main campus. We learned a little bit about what Temple Rome is like, and got to listen to a panel of students who had studied in Rome before. It was nice to hear other students’ experiences, instead of reading a bunch of stuff that Temple gave us.

There isn’t much I can do to prepare myself for Rome until I’m actually there. Temple doesn’t really tell you much about what you need, except for the paperwork. A lot of things we need to know won’t be told to us until we’re in Rome and exploring the campus and city. I’m so excited, and I can’t wait to post my first article from Rome!

Here is a small list of the million things I need to in less than two weeks!

*PACK!

*Get an adapter/converter for outlets (when I was in Paris a few years ago, it broke and one of the little prongs got stuck in our hotel outlet!)

*Figure out what I need to do about my computer (what kind of adapter it needs, does it need a converter, etc.)

*Let my bank know I’m going to be in Europe so they don’t put my cards on hold!

*Say goodbye to my family and make sure I have everyone’s address so I can send postcards!

*Teach my parents how to use Skype so we can talk on a regular schedule while I’m away.

#StudyAbroadBecause

RFies is the Students Studying Abroad Editor for Wandering Educators.

This is part of a series on international education, as part of our commitment to #GenerationStudyAbroad and our commitment to the White House Summit on Study Abroad and Global Citizenship. You'll find many more inspiring stories here on Wandering Educators!