9 days. Update

Today Kali came over (a girl from the seattle area as well, I am flying out with her and her family to NY, and i met her through facebook. I love facebook..) and she helped me pack. I think I'm almost done! We even weighed my bags, and turns out i still have extra weight, so i can put more stuff in my bag! being practically done with packing has made it so much more real. I mean obviously it is, but grasping the concept is.. unexplainable. with each step i make in the progress of going to italy, it becomes just that much more real. like the day i got my host family. the day i got my first response back from them when i emailled. the day i got my visa. and many other things!

My host family has told me they will buy my school supplies for me since school starts the day after i get to my new home. Wow! so fast! and I'm really excited to start school. it's weird for me though, because i have never been "the new kid". I have stayed in school and grown up with the same group up kids since i was put in preschool. we continue to chat very frequently, but not so much in the past few days since they have gone on vacation, and skype on my end has been acting strangely.. my messages seemed to not be getting through to them. But when we have chatted, they have reassured me with my concerns, and they tell me about the many things we will do together as a family. We have already spoken about going camping often(they have a camper, like a trailer i believe), how we will go skiing, how we will travel for a wedding, how we will go on vacation, and small road trips to their house in torino! sono molto felice!( i am very excited!) haha sorry i know i say that a lot but i have no idea how else to decribe it.

Kali and I will arrive in New York in the early afternoon on the 7th. on the 8th we are supposed to meet up with all other USA AFSers at the hotel, where we sleep and have orientation. I'm really looking forward to NY orientation, and meeting all the other exchange students, but even more, i'm excited to meet ALL the other exchange students from around the ENTIRE world! there is a facebook group, and there are about 200 members, but we are told that about 400 of us will go to italy on exchange through AFS. That's a lot! I heard the orientation part is really boring, but just being with the other exchange students is really fun. Can't wait!

p.s. I'm kind of sad to leave home on the 7th, rather than the 8th, just because it's one more day that i could spend with my family. but i really didnt want to fly to NY alone, and I was fortunate enough to find another AFSer going to italy in the seattle area. Actually, and my first orientation(PDO-pre-departure orientation) there were i think 7 others going to Italy in washington. 6 of which, including me are from seattle. or maybe 4.. haha i forget. But that's a lot! So yeah, i'm really excited. ok i should really stop saying that word.. k bye! ciao a tutti!