DAY 1

THIS IS IT. 

I AM OFFICIALLY IN ROME!

Flight 718 left right on time, 6:15 pm on Monday Aug 29, with no problems or delays. Traveling with a group was great, and other than my apparent weakness in carrying roughly 200 pounds of STUFF, all went pretty easily. As for the flight itself, I slept maybe an hour or two, as did most on the flight, and watched movies the rest of the time. I took a video of our takeoff- a pretty epic moment I would say. 

Once we landed, Temple took care of everything, and we simply followed the Temple T, loaded our bags onto the Temple shuttle, and we were driven right to our Residence. We unpacked our bags, and got used to our new rooms, and new roommates (i am living with Allison and Alexis), which was totally surreal to say the least. Just walking into the Residence Mendague D'Oro felt like an out of body experience, realizing that this was my new home.I was happy to unpack and get situated, and even happier to get internet connection and get in touch with my dad and Colin! 

Afterward, we went to get our first gelato! And we suddenly realized that the whole communication thing is going to be a bit of a stumbling block. And I now know I can never go more than a few feet without my Italian translation book! But successfully purchasing anything in Rome has been a big source of gratification for myself and my friends. That being said, we were exhausted, and all passed out for about an hour before showers and our first walk to our Temple Rome building. 

Temple invited us to a free pizza party for all Temple Rome students, and it was really nice to practice our new daily commute to school. It is an easy walk, and about 30 to 40 minutes long. Here is another video, taken by my friend Leann, upon our arrival: 

We also explored a bit afterward, hitting the Piazza del Popolo, which was REALLY when everything hit me. The videos explain it all.

It was a beautiful night, and I was happy to enjoy it with a great group of friends. I am so lucky to know such a group coming in, which I am sure will help the transition into my new life in more ways than one.

Here I go! My first night in Rome!

Buono Sera!

Juliana Bellitto: An Introduction

My name is Juliana Bellitto and I am about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

I am 20 years old.

I am the oldest child of Anthony and Sharon Bellitto.

I am the older sister of Eric Bellitto (15).

I am the lucky woman to be engaged to Colin Laury, our wedding set for June 29th 2013. 

I am a Temple student, enrolled under Tyler School of Art, set to graduate with my BFA in Photography in 2013. 

And at 6:15 pm tomorrow evening, I will board flight 718 and fly to Rome, Italy, where I will study, mingle, and live for the next 3.5 months.

I am so grateful for this opportunity to study abroad, and my head is swimming with possibilities. I am excited to step out of my comfort zone, and experience a world I have only read about. It is crazy to think that this time tomorrow night I will walk the streets of a city whose beauty is renowned on all corners of the earth, and whose history spans over a staggering two and a half thousand years.

And yet, I cannot help but think of my family, my fiancee, my friends, whom I will miss dearly. I have never been separated from my loved ones for so long before, and I know this will be a test of my emotional strength. However, I know that 3.5 months will feel like such a short amount of time in retrospect, and I will have the rest of my life to enjoy with them. 

I know I will meet new people, make new friends, and enjoy new experiences in ways I never would have imagined, and without this opportunity I may not have had the chance. Temple University has made the entire process up to this point extremely easy and painless, but tomorrow what I make of it lies in my hands. I doubt I will get much sleep tonight, but that nervous energy will be a part of what brings the students together, and I cannot wait to meet everyone in just a few hours. The airport will be a whirlwind, and before I know it I will be moving into my new home, ready to drink in the trip of a lifetime.