Books for the Plane!

For the lovely plane ride I can’t seem to shut up about I’ve picked a couple of books I think would help me make it through the long haul.

      

I don’t even feel bad for admitting that Elizabeth Gilbert initially sparked my interest in travel and Italy. She definitely romanticized Italy and the other places she went to but hey, it’s her book. I know she received a lot of negative backlash for divorcing her husband and deciding to leave her conventional lifestyle in favor of her own happiness, but I loved her book and admire Gilbert for doing what she thought she needed to do. I’ve read this book once before but I think it’s only appropriate to re-read it en route to Italy.

I’ve read a little bit about House of Leaves. I don’t know too much about this book, only that it’s a cult favorite. It sounds like one of those books that , even if an uncomfortable read, will be captivating. Which is important on a 10 hour flight. I looked through some of the pages and it is by far the most unique writing style I’ve come across; the author uses footnotes within footnotes and breaks the page up in writing chunks.. I look forward to getting my hands on a copy.

I’m a shameless YA fan. I’m finishing up the Divergent trilogy and I have Allegiant lined up in my Kindle queue.. All I can say on this book is that it better end well because Tris deserves a happy ending.

So a horror, YA, and a memoir would be incomplete without a “self help” book. You’ve probably heard of the book “Lean In” by the author Sheryl Sandberg, the woman who kicks butt in the tech industry. She’s an advocate for women in the work place and writes about the challenges and hurdles women will face when entering into any career and she offers strategies for overcoming these obstacles. This is at the top of my list!

So those are the books I’m interested in reading either on the plane ride or in the weeks leading up to my trip. Do you have any book suggestions?

The Dreaded Plane

When I was younger I always claimed the window seat. I loved pressing my forehead against the plastic sheet that made up the window and I would watch the clouds fly by until my breath fogged up my vision. I was a kid that was fascinated by the terminal – I loved seeing all the different kinds of people. The women who looked so chic and professional; the men who wore pajama bottoms; the kids who looked friendly and approachable. The terminal was like a playground. I loved the takeoff, the landing, the flying, heck – I even loved using the tiny little bathroom.

I don’t know that it’s necessarily an unexpected thing to no longer have the same enjoyment of flying as I used to. I think after it became a source of transportation for me, instead of the destination, it lost a little bit of the thrill. I’m coming up on a roughly 10 hour flight in about a month. And I need all the thrill I can get to survive this one.

Rather than research Rome or surrounding European countries, I have spent the last week looking up survival tips for long flights. My number one concern is that it will be smack in the middle of the day which will probably lead me to be more wired than tired, and more irate than drowsy. I’m a student.. in college.. which means I’m on a budget. I can only dream of flying first class but, alas, it wasn’t meant to be. For half a day I am going to be wedged between two strangers with not enough leg room. However I’m determined to stay practical and positive!

Here are a couple tips I’ve read online for flying across the world:

1. We’ve all heard it, but it bears repeating: Don’t wear jeans. Or tight tanks. Or tight shoes. Or just about anything that has a button on it. I am the hunt for some long, comfortable pants that aren’t so baggy that I’m drowning in them, and aren’t too tight that I questioned that last cupcake I ate.
2. Layers, Layers, Layers. One of the worst feelings in the world is being too cold or too hot. Worse is when you are stuck feeling like that for 10+ hours! I’ll probably end up bringing a cardigan over a t-shirt over a tank.. Hopefully that’s not too excessive?
3. Compression socks. You, like me, might be wondering who puts any kind of word like “compression” in front of socks. After tireless research (Ahem. A google search) I learned that compression socks are just a fancy name for keepin’ yo feet happy. That’s all I really needed to hear. I added those to my never-ending online shopping cart.
4. Moisturizer and hydration is apparently a thing. After I went on an 8-ish hour flight to San Francisco I felt sick, dry, and dirty. After looking into it I realized it’s because I wasn’t looking after my poor skin and I was drinking next to no water on the flight. Definitely filling up a bottle before I hop on the flight.
5. Finally – This is probably the only time in my entire life I will be forced to sit down with no where to go. Knowing me I will still find a way to procrastinate but how great would it be to get a jump start on some of my course work so I can focus on Rome the minute I get there?

So there were my 5 takeaway tips from what I’ve read online. Granted I am a student with no professional travel experience, so feel free to disregard everything I’ve written.

Do you have any travel tips?

Haiti Preperation

So.. my blog is called Rome and Adventures. It’s a little tricky because if I could I would talk about Haiti all the time and it would be called Haiti and Adventures. However I’m spending 3 months in Europe and only 1 week in Haiti *sobs*.

But for 9 days, my focus will be solely on my mission in Jacmel, Haiti, which is building a school and a community center! This year I’m so excited to visit a different part of Haiti and I look forward to meeting people with a different mentality and lifestyle than those located in the mountains. Having previously been to Haiti, this time I have a clear idea of what the week is going to look like.

Hot. Long skirts. Adorable children. Amazing new friends. Hot.

So the biggest challenge for me, as an American college student, is my obsession with running shorts and jeans. In Haiti a very different part of the culture compared to America is the women’s manner of dress – particularly the knee length skirts that most women wear. This year the skirts will be particularly challenging since I’m going in May, one of the hottest times in Haiti. However it’s always fun to immerse myself in the culture, if briefly, and it’s definitely a memorable experience trying to paint, build, and run in these incredibly long skirts the Haitian women wear.

Another factor to consider when traveling to Haiti is the different diseases and infections I never have to consider while in America. The first time I got shots I (foolishly) committed to getting them over with in one afternoon. I think I got 4 shots in the same arm and that night, at the only pre-departure meeting available, I was so feverish I didn’t hear a word that was being said about our travel plans/itinerary. Luckily those shots have a lasting impact and I’m good for the next 6 years. However I do have to take malaria pills and it has been one of the more annoying things to try and coordinate with my university’s clinic, home pharmacy, and health care to get the prescriptions and proper medication to treat that specific disease.

Have I mentioned how excited I am to be going to Haiti? Because of how my college schedule works out, I don’t overlap with high school spring break anymore so I wasn’t sure I’d be able to go to Haiti for a little while, or at least until next Summer. This plan just kind of fell into my lap and my 3 siblings and brother’s best friend are all coming on this trip and I’m just so excited to share this experience with my family.

Tomorrow I’d like to discuss the tragedy that is a 12 hour plane ride. So stay tuned for that riveting information.

The Details

So approximately 3 days ago I learned about all the different reasons this summer is going to be better than the one summer I spent hanging out in my backyard or the summers spent babysitting 10 different families and walking 3 high-energy dogs. 

I went to my pre-departure session my school requires us to attend and I heard from two guys who had gone to Rome in previous semesters and spoke with an advisor who oversees our program. For starters – the drinking age in Rome is 18. I’m not saying this because I’m one of the kids in college who already drink and am looking forward to the easy access.. the reality is that I’m terrified of breaking laws and I’m so excited to go somewhere that has “suggestions” as opposed to stringent rules and regulations. I’m looking forward to being able to enjoy a glass of wine and feel adult-esque for the next 3 months.

Another thing that sounded a lot like a Lizzie McGuire movie was the fact that I will be taking Italian 1 and am being encouraged to go out and actually apply my newfound language ability in the streets of Rome. This is simultaneously terrifying and exciting. I’ve never actually learned a language, unless you count the one year of spanish I took, which I don’t. I don’t know the first thing about learning a language and the farthest I’ve got in preparing for Italian is going through lesson 1 in Rosetta Stone. So this is probably going to be both the hardest and most rewarding challenge of this trip. 

My geek moment came when we received our official schedules for the classes we are enrolled in. I’m taking Survey of Art and Architecture, Italian 1, and Principles of Management. The way it’s set up is that I will be taking Management online through my home university and I will take the other two through the school I’m attending in Rome. The first one will be Italian and will be for the first 6 weeks. Then it switches to Survey of Art and Architecture, at which point the city becomes my new classroom! I cannot begin to express my excitement for my art class. At the beginning of this year my mentor through the Catholic Church had me read a book that analyzed a painting of the prodigal son parable in the Bible. For the first time in my life I was prompted to consider art as a form of education in and of itself and I am so grateful for this opportunity to learn more about the historical art and architecture that is everywhere in Italy! 

The last thing that has gotten me the most excited about this upcoming journey was meeting my peers that would be traveling with me. The program is small, with under 15 students participating. I anticipate getting to know these girls and guys better and from what I’ve heard from my brother’s abroad experience in spain and my friends who have traveled elsewhere, it’s the new relationships that make these trips so memorable!

Tomorrow I hope to write a little bit more about Haiti because as a part of this summer’s travel plans, I’m going to Haiti from May 3-11. When I first traveled to Haiti I realized how incredibly important it is to me to expose myself to cultures vastly different from the western comfort I’m accustomed to. For the past two years I’ve visited a small mountainous village called St. Suzanne and this year I’m excited to visit Jacmel! 

 

From the Beginning!

I imagine most students who study abroad and intend on keeping a travel journal start a few days beforehand or even on the plane to their destination (my brother).

However I figured if I’m going to do this blog right – unlike all the other blogs I’ve tried to maintain – I should get into the habit of writing frequently now, while I’m still in a familiar environment.

So I’ll start from the beginning.. On May 8, 1995.. Just kidding. But that is my birthday, if anyone wants to send presents.

So I’m a Freshman at the University of Florida and a soon to be study abroad student. I am an Information Systems major which is like the coolest major there is and you should totally wikipedia it because it’s really great. I knew in August that I wanted to study abroad in Rome and before I could psych myself out and convince myself why it wasn’t a good idea (money, age, experience, potential homesickness) I took the plunge and paid my deposit.

I was born and raised Catholic but somewhere along the way I stopped identifying myself as a Catholic until about 2 years ago when I returned from Haiti (That would take a whole seperate blog to talk about) and now the church is a huge part of my life. The biggest factor in deciding to study in Rome this summer was the sheer amount of history of the church located in Rome. Not to mention there’s this super cool guy running our church now and how cool is it going to be to witness the masses he performs?

To wrap this historic blog post up I’ll just give a brief overview of what I hope to get out of this summer from studying in Rome. I want to travel around Europe on the weekends, drink Italian wine with new friends, run a 5k around Rome, potentially fall in love with an Italian and never return, learn Italian, get lost, and pass my 3 classes in the midst of all the excitement!

This blog is probally going to attract one audience, my mother. And maybe my sister if I’m really lucky.. So hi Mom and Kara. But if you’re not one of those two, my name is Rachel and I’d love to share some of my travel adventures with you!