I made it to Italy!

It was so hard packing for a three month stay in Italy ... What is the weather going to be like? Will I be traveling a lot? Should I pack a bigger jacket? Too many questions and I continued packing until I walked out the door Saturday morning.

Honestly, I didn't want to leave. I knew it would be hard saying goodbye to everyone, and then remember the entire flight over that three months is a long time. Thankfully, the Lord has been my source of comfort ... I know there will be days that I don't want to get out of bed or just cry, but He has me here for a reason and I want to be obedient. Please be in prayer that I will not only be obedient, but I will be bold as well.

For the most part, the flights went well. I met some great people!! A mother and daughter from Monteray, Mexico were traveling to Europe to spend 5 weeks traveling. Her husband is from Greece, and works over there off and on. Their daughter is Mexican and Greek ... What a great combination!! Plus, she is trilingual!! It was neat hearing their stories :o)

My flight from Houston, TX to Amsterdam was late taking off because we had to change planes. Not a bad wait, but when we got to Amsterdam I had less than 45 min to find my connecting flight :oP I was running like a mad woman through the airport asking for help and standing in line for people to check my bags then my passport. I made it with no time to spare. The woman at the gate didn't even have time to print a boarding pass.

The nice old Italian man that looked like Albert Einstein (no joke, the white hair and everything!) sitting beside me was nice to talk with ... He also made note that if I was almost late getting on the plane that my luggage most likely didn't make it. He was right.

I've been in the same clothes for too long. No worries, I was able to shower in the host family's apartment in Rome. The airline customer service also gave me a "care package" ... I got a new white shirt! :o) Today I went and bought some clothes at the store. Can anyone guess what color my new shirt is?! ;o)

Rome was absolutely amazing yesterday!! I was so tired, but all the things I had dreamed of seeing were right in front of me!! I will post pictures as soon as I get my adapter/converter plugs in my luggage.

The family is great ... Monica has been so kind. The girls Nicola and Greta are sweet. I can tell that Nicola really wants to learn; Greta is a different story :o) She's a handful! I have not met the dad, Sergio, yet because he works out of town during the week. I did speak with him over video phone when I landed yesterday.

Today we traveled to San Benedetto del Tronto ... Beautiful! The water is blue, the sand is white, and there are people all over the city. I can't wait to get out and see more.

What I have learned about Italy so far:

Italians are absolutely, positively crazy drivers!!

Italians like coffee (cappachinos and lattes, not American coffee all the time) ... all throughout the day. They have very small servings, but they go and order their drink, then stand at a table to drink and leave.

And yes, pasta, pasta, and more pasta!!

Sorry this is so long ... I enjoy sharing and  I hope you enjoy reading :o)

Please pray that I will not continue counting down the days until I leave. Three months seems like a very long time and I already want it to be over.

Grace and peace,
Jodi