Today I head off to Florence, Italy for my semester abroad. I can't believe it is finally here! Myself and (mostly my mother) have been shopping for the experience for months. Somehow I packed everything into one piece of checked luggage, carry-on bag and a backpack. It is very impressive!

There are a couple of things that I am going to challenge myself with as I embark on this journey and I am listing them here to hold myself accountable:

1. Stop Planning. The reason I say this is because I describe myself as having a "Type A" personality (if you know me, you know!). I need to learn to be more spontaneous and learn to go with the flow. This will probably be the hardest thing for me. To my friends I am traveling with,  be patient-I will do my best!

2. Vlog. I want to be able to compile memories of footage that I take in the different cities I visit.

3. Take advantage of living in Florence.  I want to interact with locals and hopefully befriend my neighbors in my apartment building. Hopefully, the Italian I learn will be put to good use.

4. Be adventurous. I am really not a risk taker (although I like to think I am) but I would love to really get out of my comfort zone. This includes...

-Potentially hang gliding
-Traveling to a new city alone (my mom won't like this!)
-Ride in a tobbagan

I am really looking forward to this journey and I hope I am able to conquer all these challenges!