Bologna Quest Scene

As I sit on my bed writing this scene on my soon-arriving trip to Italy, I honestly couldn’t
tell you how I feel. Obviously I am excited; I’ve never been abroad, and Europe has always been
a far-reaching destination I hoped to one day visit, but now that it’s here, it just doesn’t feel real.
I’ve spent the last couple of months preparing, from taking trips to the pharmacy to make sure I
have 3 month supplies of all of my prescriptions, to the weekly trips to the Mall of America to
buy all of the other necessities (new clothes, new makeup, and a whole new wardrobe, for I am
about to adopt a whole new personality on this trip), it feels like I’ve been prepping for ages. The
checklist has been checked, the todo list has been done, and yet I just feel like it’s not happening.
I can’t possibly be leaving for Italy in a mere 3 days. I’ve spent almost 10 years dreaming about
this so that just isn’t possible. Everything has led up to this, the ibuprofen I have packed, the
many pairs of linen pants and cotton tank tops I’ve picked out, and the endless salivation over the
mere idea of endless pizza and pasta and gelato. How is it that today I’m in Woodbury,
Minnesota, but on Friday I’ll be in Bologna, Italy?
Okay, now that I’m done expressing the utter disbelief that has been haunting me for the
last few… well… months, it’s probably time that I discuss my hopes for the actual trip. Firstly, I
hope to meet a beautiful Italian man that’ll whisk me off my feet. Secondly, I hope to eat copious
amounts of Italian food (my favorite food of course). Thirdly, I hope to get up early every
morning so that I can get the most out of my time abroad (something that I don’t have a great
track record at, for example I did get up at 1 pm today after promising myself to get up at 10
am). Fourthly, I hope to see as much of Italy as physically possible in my short 3 weeks there.
And fifthly, I hope to have quite literally the best time of my life. In case you can’t tell, I have
extremely high hopes for this trip. When I went to Quebec City, Montreal last summer, I literally
cried from the utter happiness of walking through such a European and historic-feeling town. So
I can’t even imagine how I’m going to react to actually being in Europe.
Not only do I have this perfectly planned to-do list for myself for this trip, but my parents
also have a to-do list for my trip (and since they are helping fund this excursion I unfortunately
do have to follow this list). Number 1, don’t die. This hope from my mother stemmed from her
recently rewatching Taken, where Liam Neeson plays a spy whose daughter gets kidnapped on
her solo trip to Paris and he spends the whole movie hunting her down, James Bond style. Okay,
I’ll admit that this is a valid worry. Although I am freshly 20 and legally an adult, I can see how
my mother would be slightly concerned about my safety after watching that movie. But, as I’ve
reminded her many-a-times, people get kidnapped anywhere, and I’ve lived in Tempe for 2 years
with no issues (a place where one could argue I have a greater chance of dying). Number 2 on
her list, don’t spend all my money. This one, although also reasonable, may be a little harder.
I’ve worked almost everyday for the last month to make as much money as possible for a server
in Hudson, Wisconsin at the Smilin Moose bar and grill, and I did succeed my goal of how much
money I wanted to make, so I can presume that I will use that as reason to spend even more
money while I’m abroad. Also, I can work when I get back and will be living with my parents so
I won’t have many expenses. Finally, number 3, take lots of pictures. This one I am actually
excited about, since I just recently purchased a digital camera from EBay in hopes of taking
aesthetic and artsy photos at every given moment in Italy. I think my mom mostly wants me to
take photos of the landscape and the experiences on my trip so I can show her that she got her
money's worth in sending me to Italy, but I will also be taking some cute pics of myself and my
new wardrobe, because did I really go to Italy if I don’t post that I go to Italy? Well, as I start to
pack my bags for my departure in the next few days, I can only hope that I fulfill all of these
hopes, dreams, feelings, and to-dos on my upcoming Barrett in Bologna trip.